


Men Seeking Men Classifieds on Craigslist

by orphan_account



Category: Homestuck
Genre: 69 (Sex Position), Age Difference, Blow Jobs, Bullying, M/M, Oral Sex, Protection, Rimming, brotherly striders, dub-con
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-08-10
Updated: 2012-09-06
Packaged: 2017-11-11 20:00:40
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 8
Words: 22,455
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/482355
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dave comes home late with a new-found bully problem, just as Bro finds an ad online posted by a 14-year-old boy looking for someone with a "big build" who doesn't mind "getting rough."</p><p>Turns out the ad wasn't posted by a kid bound to be a sex icon, but a brat getting bullied who has no idea what "M4M" actually implies. </p><p>Bro agrees to risk going to jail to take care of the kid's bullies, thinking Dave was the one who made the posting. Instead he finds out it's another kid all together, and he's left feeling more than a little cheated when the kid can't even turn up some payment for Bro's trouble.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

 Sometimes he felt like reading Craigslist destroyed the entire concept of “self respect.”

Who knew who half of these people were or how reliable they were. They could be murderers or rapists or scam artists. But he found it funny. The desperation of the people who were sincere was humorous.

            Casually glancing through the “m4m” tag had become somewhat of a hobby for Bro. At first he tried serious dating through the site, but that became pointless. The first guy was at least 10 years older than the age he said he was. The second, 10 years younger. The third, strangely enough he kept in touch with. After a dinner date he decided to be friends with the guy and now he was where Bro got his weed.

            Speaking of him, Bro figured he should probably text him soon. He was starting to run low on his supply. It’s not like he lit up much, but it was nice to have as a back-up plan after a particularly rough day raising a kid and running an internet business. He turned away from the men seeking men and picked up his phone to check the time. 4:23.

            Dave was late from school.

            He minimized the Craigslist page back into Complete Bullshit, pleased by the way it began vibrating along with all the rest of his sites, and Dave’s. He had been meaning to exit out of some things, but it was just way too handy to have it all open all the time. Especially to monitor sales and research for his puppet sites. Most of the thousands of dollars he made mostly went to upgrading all his systems and paying his completely unill electricity bills. But he still had enough to get some basic furniture (Ok, cinderblocks and wooden slabs) and gifts for Dave.

            Meeting ends wasn’t something he never had to think about, but it really wasn’t something he had to worry about, either. Which seemed fine to both the Striders despite how crummy the place looked once you got passed the sicknasty electronics crowding up all their wallspace. Bro didn’t even have his own bedroom. Not that he really cared. What the fuck did he have to keep private? Him and Dave were plenty tight. Dave knew the password to his computer, and Bro knew Dave knew. Bro was his older brother and brothers don’t have to keep secrets.

            Which is exactly why the moment Dave waltzed through the door, Bro was on his ass like Oscar on Big Bird. His head was down a bit. He was guilty of something. Backpack slung over only one shoulder, his eyes as hidden as they always were like Bro taught him. Dave tried to walk right passed his brother like he usually did, but with arms across his chest, Bro didn’t let that happen at all.

            “You’re late,” he said flatly. An unasked question expecting an answer. He tried to play up being intimidating, if only for the parental effect. In actuality Bro was just worried. But he knew Dave and he knew Dave wasn’t likely to talk unless something was bullied out of him. At least, that’s what Bro thought. He could very well be wrong. It’s not like it was the first time he had made a bad parenting decision. If this didn’t go well, he’d play up the strategy.

            It’s not like Dave just seemed annoyed at something. He actually looked upset. Though Bro couldn’t tell exactly what kind of upset he was. That warranted a more serious approach. But only if this approach didn’t work for him.

            “I know I am,” Dave finally responded, his voice small. He kept his head down, sidestepping to avoid Bro again. He let his little brother take a few steps before flash stepping right in his path again. No way was Bro giving up that easily. Not this soon. He may have tried to be a cool parent, but he was still a parent. Or “guardian” as schools liked to say.

            “Why.”

            “Because I got detention.”

            This time when Dave stepped past, Bro let him go. Dave got detention?  What the fuck could he have done? Or what could have happened to have upset him so much? Bro knew better than to assume this was a “Damn I got caught doing something awesome” type of reaction. This was a “Fuck I feel like shit” type of reaction. That worried Bro a lot.

            He probably would have handled it better if Dave was lying. If he didn’t actually get detention, he was just fooling around with some girl in the forest after school let out and lost track of time. Ashamed of giving into temptation because Striders don’t do that. But why would he feel the need to lie? Dave didn’t lie about anything. Dave didn’t have to lie about anything. If Bro knew he was getting some they would have high fived. That left detention being the only other thing he could think up.

            But even still, the question came down to why he was in there.

 

            That night at dinner an awkward heaviness hung in the air. Bro watched his little brother from behind his shades. Dave unenthusiastically prodded at his food with the prongs of his fork, once in a while sliding a bite of it into his mouth and reluctantly chewing. Bro’s worry was bubbling up this time, putting pressure on his throat. Say something, say something.

But what could Bro say? He wasn’t a counselor. He very rarely tried the big tough loving dad routine because he thought he was shit at it. He preferred to use it as a last resort. There was a middle step between bullying-confrontation and talking shit out bro to bro. And that was strifing until Dave didn’t give a shit about his issue anymore.

            Of course they couldn’t have a sword fight at the table. A hash map rap battle would do for now. While he was sure Dave’s attention was elsewhere, he captalogued his knife.  It moved out of his hand, and he cleared his throat to drop his rhymes.

            “So, Junior’s lookin’ shitty, hell if you ain’t demagogic. Don’t take a genius to know there’s a problem- simple logic.”

            Dave looked up from his plate, recognizing the rhythm in his brother’s words and knowing the impending doom that would bear down from it. He was already preparing himself, sitting back in his chair and pressing his palms into the edge of the table. It made Bro smirk. As if Dave could actually get out of this.

            “So you’re gonna tell me what’s up, and you’re gonna tell me why. And fuck your smart-ass responses, I can already find the goddamn sky.”

            The knife flung from Bro’s sylladex. Dave was up from his seat in a second, knocking the chair to the floor as he dodged. The blade pierced the wall behind him, staying suspended in the drywall with a noisy _sprong_. Dave didn’t fight back. He stayed silent. Just stood beside the table and stared at his half eaten dinner. Okay, clearly a rap battle wasn’t what he needed. Bro’s worry was on red alert now. It really was time to bring out the big guns. He thought hard over what loving gesture to put forward, deciding just to turn his body slightly to face Dave and resting an elbow on the table.

            “Come on, Dave. Tell me what’s wrong.” There was a long pause. He chewed on his bottom lip as he mulled over a response. Was he thinking up another lie? Was he trying to work the courage to tell the truth? Bro didn’t know what to think. He’d faced this Dave before, but not since he was a tyke. Now he was a high school student. Any number of things could go wrong.

            Was he acting out over something? Was he scared of a dude he found himself crushing on? Was he actually a she his entire life and just now getting to the point he had to say something? Was he failing a class? Worried about puberty? Bro had read book upon book and article after article with forums on top of forums in between to try and be as good of a parent as he could be. He was prepared for this. He could do this.

            “I got in a fight, okay,” Dave admitted. He had stuffed his hands defensively away in his pockets. The frown was heavy set on his face. It was the kind of frown that weighed on his dimples as he tried to fight off that hurt feeling in his gut.

            Damn. That really was not cool. Dave getting bullied? For what? He was way too cool of a kid for that shit. And all the articles about bullying he had read came down to “telling an adult.” Which Dave just did. Okay, that’s step one… So what did the adult do?

            “What happened?” Might as well get some details. What could these kids possibly have against Dave Strider? They’d have to be insane. Or at least creepily deranged. They had to be. Whatever it was, Bro could probably combat it once he knew. Tell these guys off and tell Dave exactly how to handle them.

            “I don’t want to talk about it, alright.” Dave heaved a sigh, scratching the top of his head. “If it happens again I’ll tell you. I promise.”

            Bro couldn’t really ask for much more than that at this point. He couldn’t push Dave farther than he wanted to go. Kids had to come to you. That’s how it always was. It pissed him off a little bit, if only because why the fuck was his little brother getting bullied, but he inhale slowly and sat back forward at the table. His head ducked down, trying to give Dave the type of shun that would help him get back up on his independence. The type that sort of said…

            “Alright. I respect you kid.”

            There was a long pause as Dave stared at the knife in the wall. He finally sat back down, picking at his food again. Just a few more bites were downed before he sat back in his seat. He started picking at his nails, every once in a while letting out a painful seethe. Did he have any cuts from his fight? Did he… Oh, fuck.

            “You didn’t pull a weapon on him right?”

            That was actually a big fucking deal. That was the kind of deal that would get Dave taken away kind of deal. If the government knew Dave was brought up around weaponry and porn? Hell yeah Bro would be in trouble. But Bro taught his brother better than that, right? Dave knew not to pull a blade on someone unarmed. Especially not at school. He knew. That was lesson number one that Bro had been drilling since they started sword fighting when he was just a fucking toddler.

Thankfully when Dave looked up, he was looking at Bro as though he was an idiot. But of course he did. What kind of distrust did Bro just show there? No wonder Dave was offended.

            “Of course I fucking didn’t. I know the rules.”

            But Bro wasn’t going to apologize. He never apologized.

            “Good.”

            Bro stood up from the table, picking up his and Dave’s plates and tossing them in the sink. He wasn’t mad. Of course he was a little worried, but not mad. Dave could handle himself, right? Bullies were for character building and Dave had plenty of self defense knowledge that he would be just fine. Dave had a great self esteem. Bro was building it for years. He was fine. Bro was worrying for nothing. Right?

            “I’m going to bed,” Dave grumbled, not bothering to give a good night before disappearing down the hall. It made Bro sigh. He paused in front of the sink, listening closely to the footsteps and the heavy slam of Dave’s door. He really offended the kid, didn’t he? Whoops. Flipping off the kitchen light, Bro moved back over into the living room.

            He didn’t bother lowering the futon before throwing himself on it, propping his legs up on the arm rest and turning on the television. It felt like he spent hours channel surfing. His thumb kept clicking but no stories picked up his interest. He was just way too distracted. Soaps, reality television, old movies, kid shows, porn… It all flashed by him but did nothing. The sky outside the apartment window just got darker and darker. He was wasting too much time doing absolutely nothing. Not that he had much left to do tonight anyway.

  He gave up after passing the same Friends rerun for a third time, tossing the remote to the floor and looking back at the ceiling. This Dave thing was occupying his entire headspace. He needed something a bit more active to take his mind off it. All of his website work was finished hours ago, so he would have to get creative.

            The Xbox was one option, but Bro hated wasting time on games when he didn’t have any articles to write. Otherwise he’d just get bored and games would be a chore instead of a treat. He bent his head back to look back at his computer. The screen was dark, but he knew it was still turned on by the quiet hum of the tower.

            He kicked off his shoes before sitting up and moving over to his desk, flopping down into the seat with a thunk and jiggling the mouse. The screen illuminated and he punched in his password. lilcal. What an awesome password. Coolest thing it could possibly be. He glanced over where Cal was still propped up on  his speaker. He took a moment to grab the puppet’s leg, pulling him and resting him firmly in his lap. High enough that Cal could see the computer screen, of course.

  Complete Bullshit was still maximized, and he began mousing over all the different tabs. He read the titles out loud to Cal, making sure to censor himself. He mulled and made comments as he went, giving his pal A+ commentary. Only the best for him.

            No new comics from Dave. A few new comments on PlushRump but nothing that needed replies. No interesting happenings on CNN, he was finished with that Jim Henson page days ago… And. Oh.

            Houston, TX men seeking men classifieds on Craigslist.

            Bro practically forgot he was doing that today. Sure, what the heck. He clicked the tab to pull the page up. He hit F5 to refresh and sat back to watch the new postings. A protective hand slid to cover Cal’s eyes and he muttered an apology. Not that that stopped him from making lewd comments in Cal’s direction when he saw a title that tickled his fancy.

 

            **MWM NEEDS HOT EROTIC MASSAGE – m4m – 51**

Need me to rub your shoulders, Cal baby? Of course not, we all know you’re the one with the magic hands around here.

**DEEPTHROAT available – m4m – 44**

          Don’t worry, Babe, I don’t like oral anyway.

**TOP NEEDED FOR MY HOT ASS – m4m – 44**

          Wait, this is my posting.

**SERVICING FEET, SOCKS, AND SNEAKERS – m4m – 44**

          Wait, is this in the right section. Is this about foot jobs or.

**any young guys 18+ need a blow job – 24**

          Sorry man I stopped being young years ago.

**looking for big build who wants to get rough – m4m- 14**

            Well damn this might be our meal ticket, Cal.

 

            Wait. _Fourteen?_ Bro had heard rumors that this happened sometimes, but he never thought he would see it with his own eyes. A kid that young wanting to get fucked, huh? It was amusing to say the least. He clicked the ad out of pure curiosity. How slutty could a 14-year-old kid even be?

            Reading over the ad, it became apparent that the answer to his question wasn’t about to come into view.

 

            **“uh. i’ve never done something like this before but i’m getting desperate. i need an adult or even a teenager i guess. someone tall and big and intimidating who can fight or beat someone up. i just have a really bad bully problem and i want them off my back.”**

**  
**

            Bro looked over his shoulder, swallowing hard as his eyes wandered to the entrance of the hallway. Cal quizzically asked him what he was thinking. But Bro couldn’t answer.

            He wouldn’t.

            Dave knew better than to risk something like this on the internet. Bro had taught him better. There was no way this was Dave. This was a huge privacy concern. He would have had to tell the guy what school he went to. The names of his classmates. Was he just looking for a child molester or what?

Well, only one way to find out. Bro inhaled, clicked the link, and switched to his work e-mail.

 

            **== > Reply to: bbdxz-4136121025@pers.craigslist.org**

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> http://justlikeacheesestick.tumblr.com/ wrote bro's rap because i cannot rap ha ha HA thank u christina u r good people


	2. Chapter 2

_Hey, Kid. I read your ad. Gotta say you mislead me a little bit. If you need help with these boys on your back then I’m willing to take care of them for you. Just tell me where and when._

_-DS_

Bro didn’t expect to get a response right away, but he leaned back in his seat and waited for one anyway. He didn’t even notice his foot bouncing impatiently. He was anxious. Way too anxious. If this was Dave he needed to make sure he took care of this before some other creep did. Why would Dave be so fucking careless? He knew better than to give information like this away on the internet. Dave knew all about the internet and yet here he was.

                  It was driving him nuts, and the moment he got a returned email it made his heart spike. He threw himself back over to the desk, shoving his thumb in his mouth to gnaw at the nail. His other hand worked the mouse, clicking over to the new message.

 

                  _wow that’d be great! i didn’t actually think that ad would get a response but if you’re offering i’m not going to say no. i go to the high school in the north part of the city. there’s three guys, two brunettes and a blond. they’re always walking around together. one of them has a skateboard and the other has a green backpack with one of the straps torn from the top so it kind of drags behind him on the ground. they’ve got detention for the next couple days so they won’t be leaving until 4. could you go then? please? i’m going to stay home from school tomorrow since i don’t want to get beaten up again so i won’t be able to point them out. is that ok?_

Bro let out a heavy sigh. It would have to do. He wasn’t really all that happy about Dave skipping school, but if it was only one day, he could catch up. Reluctantly he started typing up his response, feeling the onset of guilt pouring over his shoulders and pooling in his stomach. How could he have let this happen? Dave didn’t deserve this. Bro should have done better to help him fit in. And look at him now. Giving Dave the easy way out and fixing his problems for him. Bro was a terrible role model. He should stop writing this right away, but he didn’t.

 

                  _Yeah, that’s fine. I’ll be there. I’ll take care of the assholes after they get out of detention. You just feel better._

_-DS_

                  He didn’t wait for a response before shutting down his computer. He just felt fucking ashamed of himself now. He looked down into his lap, where Cal was still quietly resting. He hadn’t said a word all night. Poor guy was probably tuckered out of his poor wooden head. No sex for Bro tonight. Not that he minded.

                  “Ready to go to bed?”

                  Cal didn’t respond, but Bro took that as a yes. He picked Cal up in one arm, holding him against his chest as he collapsed the futon and climbed onto it. He curled up with Cal under the covers, whispering to him all of his insecurities over this whole situation. Cal was shocked to learn Dave was having a bully problem. But he supported Bro’s decisions even through Bro being unsure about them.

                  That was comfort enough for Bro to drift to sleep. He dreamed about death that night, along with every other night. It was happening since he was a kid. Memories of past lives or something. Who fucking knows what.

 

                  He woke up again when he heard heavy coughing coming from Dave’s bedroom. Just as he thought- he was faking sick to avoid this. Just like the email said he was going to. Bro thought he taught his brother better, but clearly he didn’t. It wasn’t long until Dave’s door opened, and he came out in his pajamas with a bashful look on his face and a fist held to his mouth. He was wrapped in his blanket, speckled in pool balls.

                  “Bro?” he heaved, his voice small. “I’m not really feeling too good.”

                  What was he supposed to do now? Bro looked up at him. Did he confront him and tell him he knew what was going on? Did he tell Dave he shouldn’t be running away from his issues? Did he let him stay home? He had to decide now or else Dave would definitely know that Bro knew. For once this was a secret that needed to be kept between them.

                  “Go back to bed,” Bro said finally, rolling over and turning his back to Dave. He could feel Dave’s presence linger for a bit longer, probably shocked to know that his shitty plan actually worked. He waited for Dave to leave, but he didn’t. Instead, his knees pressed into the futon mattress and he dropped himself onto it. Bro looked over his shoulder. Dave was just curled up with his blanket pinched shut at his front, eyes closed.

            He just laid right down against Bro’s back and waited to fall asleep again.

                  That’s how shitty he felt over all of this, huh? That he needed a presence to make him feel safe. God, Bro was going to give those brats what for when he saw them, reducing his brother to this self sorry lump. He should be strifing Dave right now to keep his mind off things. But he felt too responsible. Instead he let Dave sleep next to him, rolling onto his back and falling back asleep himself.

            More nightmares.

 

                  He didn’t wake up again until past noon. Dave was still sitting on the futon in his boxers and teeshirt, legs crossed, blankets over his shoulders, playing Xbox while he chewed on a grilled cheese. Bro watched with tired eyes as he made a total ass of himself in the game, before lifting his leg to kick the side of Dave’s head with his foot.

                  “Hey!” Dave grumbled, his entire body bending around as he tried to regain control of his character on the screen. “What was that for? I turned the volume down so it wouldn’t wake you up.”

                  “Yeah, but you didn’t make me breakfast,” Bro informed him, gesturing at the barely touched sandwich. Dave glanced over for half a second before going back to his game.

                  “You can have it if you want. I don’t have much of an appetite.”

                  If he were actually sick he probably wouldn’t have one at all. But they both knew he wasn’t. So Bro took the offered sandwich, laying on his side with his head propped up with his arm as he ate it. At least Dave was being somewhat productive on his day off. Not. It was inconvenient that he was home, and Bro was frustrated with himself for enabling it. But there was no use fighting now. One day wouldn’t wreck his years of work. Dave would have needed to be at home so Bro could tail these kids anyway. Bro didn’t want to risk getting caught playing super hero.

                  “You missed a bag,” he told his brother, gesturing to the television screen. Shitty computer animated bars with half-assed rust were on either side of Dave as his character skateboarded along a wheelchair ramp. He ollied over an elderly guy on his up of it, and the game shouted at him for being a hooligan. This was a shitty game, but Bro loved it. It was perfect, in an ironic way.

                  “What?” Dave’s thumbs furiously smacked against buttons. It was amusing to watch. Bro couldn’t fight off a smirk.

                  “Back there. A bag of Doritos. You missed it. You have to grind the rail.”

                  “Fuck. Grinding is fucking impossible on this piece of shit game. Can’t you review games that don’t suck for the magazine?”

                  “Nope. And quit complaining, we get these games for free.”

                  “Yeah yeah.”

                  Bro glanced at the clock. He wouldn’t be able to hang around much longer. He was well aware the email said four, but Bro wasn’t about to risk being late in case the kids skipped their detention. So he sat up, flicked Dave’s ear, (which got a loud protest) then headed to the bathroom to get ready.

            He moved his marionette out of the shower, hanging him over the bathroom mirror, instead. He’d have to cut his shower short today to ensure he made it to the school on time. Crap. Bro hated spending less than 2 hours in the shower. Didn’t give him time to get everything done in there that he needed to. Sometimes he wondered if he should be getting medicated for his hygiene OCD, but if it wasn’t hurting him, who cared? It’s not like his OCD was bad enough he was washing his hands four time every hour until they were dry and cracked and bleeding all the time. He just liked to get off all the dead skin when he showered. No big deal.

                  It was just passed two before he was ready at the door, hair washed, dried, cap on, clothes fresh, shoes tied. Dave looked up from his cell phone when he noticed Bro was at the door. Bro hadn’t told him anything obviously. Hopefully he wasn’t suspicious. If Dave thought this Craigslist thing was a way to independence, Bro wanted him to keep  believing that. He didn’t want Dave to think he was getting an easy out and Big Brother was taking care of him. That’s not have he rolled. Bro knew that.

                  “Where are you going?” Dave asked, not all that interested. Good. Means Bro hadn’t roused any suspicions about being the person he was emailing with. Exactly as planned.

                  Bro tugged on his gloves as he velcroed them to his hands.

                  “To pick up some stuff. Might not be back for a few hours. Try not to burn the building down while I’m gone.”

                  Dave just snorted, back to tapping his thumb against the screen of his phone.

            He was being so casual about this. Was he not worried at all about the fact that he had just last night told a stranger where he went to school and sicked a grown man on a couple of kids? Time to hopefully not have to teach him a lesson.

                  “Dave,” he said suddenly, adjusting his cap. “Let me ask you something.”

                  Dave put his phone in his lap, waiting attentively for the message. He still seemed distanced from himself. He was still upset. He was just distracted enough for it not to show. But Bro knew better.

                  “You know not to give out your personal information and shit on the internet, right?” There was a long pause. Dave cocked an eyebrow above his glasses, his mouth a hard line as always.

                  “What the hell brought on something like that?” He asked, quickly lifting his phone back up and going right back to typing away at his text. “Of course I know not to. I’m not five. Give me some credit, man.”

  1.             Fuck, that was twice now in two days that Bro’s managed to make Dave think he didn’t trust him. Now he just owed the kid an apology. Maybe taking care of these brats would be apology enough. Even if he did it anonymously. Poor Dave, already doubting himself thanks to bullies and he can’t even catch a break from his own  brother.                    



There was another silence- long enough for Dave to put his phone back down and keep staring. As if Bro had more to say.

“Alright, good,” Bro finally said, giving the kid a break for once. Dave returned to texting, head hanging off the back of the futon and one leg crossed over the other. Bro wondered who Dave was texting with so religiously, but didn’t feel the need to ask. It was a friend. Dave had a friend. That’s what mattered.

                  Bro took a lingering glance at him before turning around and exiting, closing the door behind him. Yeah, he was going to take care of this. He was going to fix it. Dave was going to feel safe, he was going to feel better about himself. And most importantly, he wasn’t going to fall victim to some Craigslist predator.

                  He drove up to the side walk at Dave’s school minutes later, turning off the truck and resting back in his seat. Kids started leaving one by one until 3:15 hit, when out came a large group. He kept look out for the dragging backpack strap, but there wasn’t one. Unless he missed them in the crowd. He certainly _hoped_ he didn’t. He would wait around until after four anyway.

                  He almost fell asleep in his seat, having exhausted several pages from the Sudoku book in his glove compartment. But through the open crack of his window, he heard it. Laughter from teenage boys.

                  He opened his eyes, and there they were. Only two of them came out, but one of them was carrying the skateboard and one of them had the dragging backpack strap. These were the kids. That third blond Dave mentioned better have been counting his fucking blessings, that’s for sure.

                  He stepped out of his truck, slamming the door and locking it with his remote. The horn honked, and he stepped up next to the hood and crossed his arms. The boys walked in the opposite direction, so Bro waited a moment and started tailing them. The direction they were going wasn’t populated. Good. That would lower Bro’s chance of getting caught and ending up in the slammer.

                  It was a few minutes of tailing them before he finally cleared his throat. The kids turned around, surprised to see the voice was someone so _large._ _They’d better fucking be surprised. Because they were about to be really fucking sorry for messing with Dave._

_Bro was disgusted just looking at these punks. It was as if neither of them had even bothered to hit puberty. Backpack’s face was chubby and young and he was wearing his visor backwards and upside down like a complete fucking tool. Skateboard had horrible eyebrows going on and his shirt was so greasy Bro didn’t even want to touch him. Both of them were brunette and they both had dull brown eyes. Bro would have assumed they were brothers if it weren’t for the horrible differences in both of their faces._

                  “So,” he started, moving his hands in front of his chest to crack his knuckles like some cartoon villain. He heard an audible gulp from below him, and he kept his mouth straightened into a hard frown.

“Which one of you pig-faced brats beat up my little brother.”

 


	3. Chapter 3

Both the boys in front of him went silent. Skateboard’s eyes were terrified looking up at Bro’s size where as Backpack seemed to be challenging him. Good thing. Better to punch someone who wants to punch back.

                  “I asked you shits a question.”

                  “No way,” Backpack grunted, letting out a scoff. He was already brimming in obnoxious pride. All the better to punch that look right off of his face in Bro’s opinion. “There’s no way you’re that loser’s brother. Even if you do both dress like complete failures.” It started him laughing, Skateboard looking more like he was about to make a run for it.

                  A large hand gripped into Backpack’s shirt, easily lifting him from the ground. This was usually the part where he would say something like, “No more mister nice guy.” Except he never intended to be the nice guy. He intended to slam these brat’s faces into the pavement and hopefully spill some blood across it, too.

                  “Flattery will get you no where, kid,” he spat, eyes thin behind his shades. He sure as hell hoped this kid could see his eyes. He deserved to know the fucking terror. “Now answer the question before I slam your face into the pavement. Which one of you beat up my brother.” Small fingers were digging into his wrist. He didn’t feel a thing. He gave the kid a shake, watching as he started to slip downward in his shirt.

                  “Yeah, it was me,” he choked, trying to pull himself up using Bro’s arm as an anchor. He was choking slightly on the collar of his shirt. Good.  “What the fuck are you going to do about it?”

                  Bro wasted no time after that confession. His free fist slammed into the kid’s face. He released Backpack’s shirt at the same time, letting him fall to the ground and skid across pavement on his side. Specks of blood pricked from the side of his face that was grated, and when he lifted himself up from the ground, his eyelids were drooping.

                  Bro grabbed the back of Skateboard’s shirt as he tried to make a run for it, effectively using the fabric to turn him around. He got clocked in the face, too, though a few more times than the other kid. His face was already swelling up.  Bro could feel it under his knuckles.

                  “Don’t run from your responsibility, you shit. Take ownership for what you did and don’t be a fucking coward.”

                  Skateboard pleaded and apologized, but Bro was far from finished with him. He got an uppercut punch up the jaw, and Bro listened to the satisfying crack that came of it. Skateboard’s lip split open and he was dropped, stumbling back and tripping over his board. He landed on his ass on the pavement, tears pricking his eyes like a pathetic shit and it made Bro’s eyes roll behind his glasses.

                  He noticed Backpack coming at him from the side, and he flashstepped behind him. He grabbed the kid’s tiny arm and twisted it behind his back. It earned a loud groan, and with a kick to the lower back Bro released him again. He fell back into the pavement face first and when he lifted his head his nose was bleeding.

                  “Got any more fight left? Huh? Or are you going to leave my little brother the fuck alone and stay the fuck away from him?” Bro waited for the response, his arms folding over his chest again. He felt himself grinning. His heart was racing from the adrenaline. He knew what he was doing was wrong but it felt great to do anyway. Now Dave would be okay at school and not have to feel like shit anymore.

                  “I won’t touch him!” Skateboard promised, his face drenched in tears. Fucking kid. “I promise I’ll never even talk to him ever again!” He ended up choking out sobs, an inch away from curling into the fetal position. He was heaving for breath, trying to get through the pain. He had licked his lips, spreading blood across his chin and teeth.

                  “And you?” Bro turned to Backpack, his face covered in blood from his collective faceplants. He certainly wasn’t looking so fearless anymore. That façade had shattered along with his cheekbone.

                  “Me neither, okay. I’m not going to go near him. I’m done.” His tone was dismissive. He was eating his fucking words from the beginning of this whole thing. Good thing, too. Bro’s knuckles were about finished.

                  “And tell your third pal to smarten the fuck up, too. Or he’ll be next. Now what are you going to tell your parents, let me hear it.” It would be music to his fucking ears, that was for sure.

                  “Skateboard accident,” Skateboard stuttered, not missing a beat. There was a tremble in his voice that gave Bro a satisfied bubble in his stomach. Damn, he was getting some sick pleasure out of beating up these kids. That was probably a bad sign. Oh well. He could deal with it later.

                  “Skateboard accident,” Backpack echoed.

                  “Good. Don’t think I won’t be back if you cross my brother again, you got it?”

                  They both started nodding frantically, and, satisfied with his job, Bro turned around and headed back for his truck. His knuckles were a bit sore, but he was just fine. He could hear the footsteps behind him as the kids took off.

He’d pick up some Taco Bell for him and Dave and send an e-mail to him to get everything sorted and finalized. No more brats picking on his brother, no more worrying about Dave being careless on the net.

                  Back to normal. Good.

 

                  He returned to the apartment less than an hour later, take out bags in hand. Dave was now on his 3DS, still hanging off the edge of the futon in his boxers. At least he seemed to be feeling a lot better. He must have really been trusting those emails he was receiving from “DS.” Even if Bro did use one of his emails Dave didn’t know, part of him was surprised the initials didn’t tip his brother off.

                  “You couldn’t have done a bit of tidying today at all?” Bro asked, dropping the bags and his keys on the table. Not that there was much of a mess anyway. Aside from Dave’s dishes from a day of being home and the futon remaining open instead of locked back up in the couch position, it wasn’t much messier than it usually was. After all, all the things they owned were electronics and smuppets and both of those were always carelessly thrown about the floor.

Dave put his DS aside before he lifted his legs from the bed, above and over his head. His hips bent like a contortionist as his feet hit the floor, and he stood up. It was almost gross how flexible he was, but Bro still found himself proud of the kid for it.

                  “Sorry, I lost track of time. But hey you brought dinner. Cool.”

                  “Sure did,” Bro grinned, sliding one of the bags over to Dave. He pulled it in front of him and started digging through. He was so casual. Good. Maybe all this casual behavior meant he was feeling better. “And hey.”

                  Dave looked up, already having pulled out one of the tacos inside. He paused attentively as he waited, his eyes peeking out from above his shades.

                  “It’s gonna get better, okay. I’m not going to let anything bad happen to you, alright?”

                  Bro felt proud of himself. He as a good parent, wasn’t he? And an even better brother. Dave looked confused to say the least. Probably trying to not make it too obvious. Bro just smiled, and Dave attempted to make one back, though it was weak.

                  “Uh. Thanks?”

                  Bro shook his head with a smirk, returning to his own meal. It wasn’t until he had finished that he moved back to his computer, pulling up the short and sweet email response from Dave that he had missed before.

 

                  _good luck._

Bro hit the reply button, quickly typing up his response.

 

                  _Your little friends are nada, Kid. Gave them both lots of bloody spots. The blond was missing but I have a feeling he’ll learn his lesson through the grape vine. Let me know if school goes any better tomorrow a’ight. Else I’ll head back there for round two._

_-DS_

Bro actually felt _really_ proud of himself. He was just swelling with it. Sure there was that nagging in the back of his head telling him he was wrong for trying to fix all of Dave’s problems for him, but he couldn’t help himself. He helped out his brother and he did it in a way that left him none the wiser. Like a guardian angel. Seemed good enough for him.

His response came almost instantly. He looked over his shoulder where Dave was just putting away his phone. It really was him. He really was doing better. He couldn’t believe how well this had all worked out. Screw feeling bad about fixing Dave’s problems for him. Dave wouldn’t even know. Nobody would.

 

_i will! wow thanks so much school is going to be a lot better! and no i’m not worried about the third guy he’ll take the hint hehehe. i really appreciate you doing this for me! you’re a good person! if i can do anything to repay you just let me know! i don’t really have any money or anything but i could clean your house or something? just say the word! thanks again!_

-        _john_

John. Who the hell was John? Was Dave using a fake name? That would have been comforting had he not also just offered to go to a strangers house alone. Clearly Dave still needed a talking to about using the internet properly. Maybe a talking to wasn’t enough. Was he crazy? It was bad enough that he had told a stranger where he went to school. This was just way past the line of acceptable. Dave knew better than this. Of course he knew better than this. Bro had been teaching him better than this since he taught the kid how to use a computer. He needed a big lesson this time. One that really dug the importance of this in to his skull.

 

_Well, if you’re offering, sure. The place could always use some tidying up. I’ll pick you up at the cafe down from your school. Third table from the front. Tomorrow after you get out._

_-DS_

                  That would teach him. Dave would see Bro in that booth and get humiliated over being so careless. Lesson learned. Sure, Bro would feel a little bad about tricking him, and it was risky to openly admit he was the one that beat the guys up like that. It would probably take a strife to fix it all. Not that he minded that. Strifing was the best bonding they did. This simply wasn’t something that keeping secrets was worth. This was serious. It was fucking lucky Dave had stumbled across someone trustworthy. Bro had to make sure it didn’t happen again, regardless of what he was giving up to do so. Dave’s safety was number one.

                  His email binged again.

 

                  _i’ll be there._

-        _john_

 

Dave went back to school that day. Not that that surprised Bro in the least. He spent the first few hours home getting his work done from where he had fallen behind with his escapade yesterday. A few new videos to pull off of his cameras, a bit of formatting on the site, a few quick emails. Normal stuff. A new video game had arrived in the mail- StonerDash 2 the Quest for Cheetos. Looked like an amazing work of Xbox art. In a strictly ironic way, of course.

After work and meal time it was closing in on 2 PM. Time to leave. He’d have to get to that café and wait for Dave to prance his dumb ass through the door and get the loudest scolding he’s ever received. How stupid could he have raised this kid to willingly meet up with a stranger he met over the net? He knew better. Sure, it was good Dave didn’t give his real name or his address or anything, but knowing where he went to school was still a big red flag for any sort of fucking predator.  

When Bro arrived at the shop he slid right to the table he said he was going to. A pretty waitress in a pony tail brought him a coffee and he was happy to take a drink of it. Anything to calm his nerves before the huge scolding he was about to lay down. He wasn’t going to wait until they got home, either. He was going to humiliate Dave, and he was going to humiliate himself in the process. Glancing at his watch, Dave would be arriving any minute.

A couple school kids walked by, but not Dave. A few came inside, but not Dave. Bro was beginning to get frustrated. Did he have detention again and not mention it? Damn kid.

He took another sip of his drink as a few more school kids came in. The bells above the door jingled as it opened and closed. He brought down his cup which was now almost empty, his eyes closed behind his glasses.

“Um, excuse me?”

Bro opened his eyes, expecting to see the waitress. But it wasn’t her. It was a kid. A boy. With messy black hair and thick rimmed glasses and a horrible fucking overbite. He was wearing a teeshirt and cargo shorts. Not even in the cool way, either. What did this kid want?

“Yeah?”

The kid gnawed his lip for a second, glancing over his shoulder. After that he slid into the seat across from Bro. The floor squeaked with his pivot and the seat sighed under his weight. Did this guy seriously just sit right down without even asking? Who the fuck? Bro felt those juvenile sneakers brush against his shins. It made him inhale, sitting upward to straighten his back.

“You’re uh. DS right?”

Oh no.

Oh _hell_ fucking no.

“I’m John.”

 


	4. Chapter 4

            “You’re John.”

            Bro couldn’t believe what he was seeing. No fucking way. He risked going to _jail_ to bail out some kid he didn’t even know from getting his ass kicked? Looking at his face he probably deserved it. Bro could read the smart-ass dickweed in his smile. Not to mention the way he waltzed in and sat down like he owned the place. Bro could go to fucking jail for assaulting a minor and it was for this nerd.

            That just pissed Bro off. Never mind the fact that now he was back to square one as to why Dave was getting into fights or getting detention or why he decided to stay home from school yesterday. Now he had more questions than answers. It was inconvenient, and he was pissed. Pissed that he had to feel so many conflicting emotions which he was so fucking _above_ feeling and pissed that he had wasted so much time.

            “Yeah! Egbert. John Egbert. I’m the guy who posted the ad. I really appreciate you doing that for me, I mean wow!”

            Bro signaled for the check. Anything to keep his hands busy so he didn’t sock this fucker in the face.  “Anytime.”

            “I mean, I don’t really care if guys want to hate me or whatever. But coming home with bruises was a bit inconvenient to have to explain to my dad. The guys all got detention for beating me up sure, but that doesn’t mean they would have stopped.”

            Bro’s foot began to tap impatiently against the floor. This kid was just running his fucking mouth. Bro’s check was slid onto the table, and he reached into his back pocket to pull out a few bills. He had had just about enough of this kid. His head was spinning. His mind was racing. He risked fucking everything because he jumped to conclusions like that. What a fucking idiot was he

            “But man, I saw them today in school and they were a mess! All bruised up and cut. Everyone asked what happened to them but they didn’t say anything. Even the third guy you missed out on avoided me like the plague. It was awesome. Now I can just go back to doing my school work and stuff which is- Hey, where are you going?”

            Bro had slapped down his money and was already on his way out the door without a word. He could hear the squish of the booth seat where John had stood up, and the swing of his backpack as he threw it back over his shoulders.

            “Wait up!”

            As soon as they were well down the street, Bro turned around to stare John in the face.

            “Look, Kid. I did your shit for you. Just hop off my dick, alright.”

            John seemed shocked, to say the least. He shut his mouth. Bro should be walking away. But instead he didn’t. He just stared until John spoke again.

            “I know… I thought you wanted me to thank you for it,” he admitted, a bashful glaze in his eyes. “I mean, you seemed really cool from your emails. I thought it would be cool to hang out or something, too. Learn about you and stuff.”

            Great, this kid was a fanboy now. A pathetic one.

            “It was just super nice of you to do that for me and-”

            Bro lifted a hand, shushing John midsentence. Anger and regret were swirling around in his stomach. He was mad at John for tricking him, even though John didn’t even fucking trick him. He was just stupid enough to build a story around a sentence and he was pushing the blame on John to feel like less of an idiot. Goddamn it.

            “I only helped because I thought the person who wrote that ad was my little brother.”

            That shut John up. He started chewing on his bottom lip. Probably mulling a response. Damn, Bro probably just crushed his fan boy dreams. He probably thought he had a fated guardian or something and now he had to find out it was just a mistake. Shit. Okay, he could take a bit of pity on the kid.

            “Look,” Bro started, putting his hands back to his sides. John’s head lifted, with a bit of hope still painted on his features. “I’m an asshole, it’s kind of my thing. If you don’t mind dealing with that once in awhile then. Yeah, sure. Come over and hang out for a bit. I could always use someone to clean the counters under my weapons.”

            John’s face broke into another goofy grin, his eyes calm in an almost overly-mature way. Looking at him like this the only thing that really gave away the fact that he was only fourteen was his height. And the tiny crack in his voice, of course. Dave was an early bloomer when it came to his voice lowering, so it was odd to hear one so young again.

            “You have weapons? Oh man, did you use them against Terry and Mike?”

            Bro smirked before he turned around again, leading John back to his truck. The kid was eager as he followed, his steps wide as his hands gripped to his backpack straps.

            “Of course not. My weapons stay stored. I have one sword I fight with, sure, but I’m not going to pull it on any untrained kids.”

            The truck unlocked and John hopped up into the passengers seat before Bro could even extend the invitation. Bro didn’t bother saying anything about it. Just climbed in behind the wheel and pulled his seatbelt on. John ignored his. Dumb kid.

            “Who do you pull it on? Are you some super vigilante? Like… Like the Comedian? He was an asshole, too. And a rapist. But he was also her Dad and stuff and he actually wanted to see her even if he wasn’t allowed to which I kind of get even if it was kind of sad for him.”

            Man, this kid was a fucking nerd.

            “No I’m not some Japanese Batman I just train for the fun of training. Who knows, maybe it will come in handy one day, by some crazy circumstance.”

            “Like when Cameron Poe’s military training came in handy even when he finished serving because he used it to kill his wife’s attacker! Except that landed him in jail.”

            “Implying that beating up your bullies wouldn’t land me in jail.”

            Bro pulled away from the curb after shoulder checking, heading past the school and around the block to get back to his apartment.

            “Oh man, I didn’t even think about that. You aren’t actually going to get arrested, right?”

            Okay, maybe this kid wasn’t as bad as Bro first thought. Sure he was a little timid and ridiculously obnoxious, but he was just a kid. Bro had to wonder why this kid’s dad didn’t teach him better about his internet usage. But the last thing Bro needed was to get involved trying to raise someone else’s kid when he could barely raise his own.

            “I’ll be fine, Kid. It’s not the first time I’ve done something illegal.”

            That caught John’s attention, and he shifted in his seat to face Bro a bit better.

            “It isn’t? What did you do? Get into a bar fight? Steal jewelry? Break into a museum? Did you _kill a guy?_ ”

            Bro chuckled at that, taking another turn and resting his wrist on the top of the steering wheel.

            “Tone down the imagination there, kid. I did something that would land me in jail, not land me in Satan’s playroom.” Not that Bro had really read the bible to know what was a sin and what wasn’t. “I just do drugs sometimes.”

            “That’s not that impressive,” John mused, sitting back in his seat and crossing his arms. Bro scoffed, flipping his signal to pull into the apartment parking complex. AKA half the price of the place. He parked on the top level to save some time since they still had a lot of ascending to go.

            “You saying I need to kill a dude before you’ll think I’m cool?”

            John shrugged as he hopped out of the car. He was still holding onto his backpack straps. “Well yeah I guess.”

            “Tough crowd.”

            Bro smirked as he headed for the entrance to the floor. John followed closely behind, nattering away the entire walk. Through the halls, in the elevator, even as they were approaching the apartment door.

            “I’m not saying that I _want_ you to kill a dude. I mean that’s fucking crazy. But I mean could you imagine what it would be like to meet some guy on the internet and find out he was actually a murderer? That would be like going on a blind date and finding out you were set up with Jack the Ripper. Like. You’d be scared, right? But what if you were _into_ that? Like you got off on being terrified. Then Jack the Ripper might be a good match for you.”

            “You saying you put personal information on the internet and agreed to go to a stranger’s home because you get off on being stupid?”

            “No!”

            Bro just laughed, pushing open his apartment door and heading inside. He tossed his keys on the table. It wasn’t even four o’clock. Dave wasn’t home, either, so he must be in detention again. Bro would actually have to ask him what happened now, wouldn’t he? He said he got in a fight. Who was he fighting with? Of course it was still possible it was a bully problem,  just not this particular one. Bro was surprised that Dave was even keeping secrets. He must have felt shitty over whatever it was.

            John was still talking, but Bro hadn’t been listening until he heard the words “they’re so gross.”

            He turned around where John had grabbed one of his prized smuppets and held it up to his face by the nose.

            “Like, is this supposed to be its dick or something? That’s nasty, man. And there’s so many of them! How lame.”

            Fucking brat.

            “They’re my source of income, so I really don’t give a shit what some 14 year old kid thinks about them. Either way, get used to it, because if you’re here to tidy up after me I expect all of them put away.”

            “Put away where?” John asked. He tossed his backpack on one of the kitchen chairs, still looking around the apartment. Bro had leaned himself against the counter as he observed. “In that chest behind the couch?”

            “Hell no,” Bro corrected, pushing up from his resting place and moving over the chest in question. He got to his knees next to it, pulling open the top. There wasn’t much inside but an imprint and a few props. John leaned over Bro’s shoulder to look inside. “This place is for Cal. He hangs out in here while I travel to different gigs so he doesn’t get all mucked up by the seatbelt.”

            Bro grinned as he examined the home he had made for Cal in that box. It was roomy and carved to his exact shape including little holes for his feet and hands. Cal was resting on the couch where Bro had left him an hour prior. Good man, holding down the fort.

            He could hear John scoff from behind him, standing up straight again. “You’re worried about keeping a doll safe? Man, and here I was thinking you were cool all that time.” Bro shot him a silent glare, but otherwise said nothing. No use getting into it with the brat he wouldn’t be around for long.

            Hopefully.

            John had wandered around the living room more, picking up more smuppets. He tossed them into a neat pile behind one of the speakers that was closed off by the television stand. Bro supposed that would work. Bro moved back to the table as John finished that off, picking up Dave’s dishes from yesterday and bringing them into the kitchen. He rinsed them off in the sink before looking at Bro, who was now examining bills.

            “Do you have dishsoap?” He asked, shaking the dishes dry at the sink but not much else.

            “Nah. They’re fine like that. Just throw them up in the cupboard.”

            John did as he was told, (Not without making a crack about how unhygienic that was) but that still only took him a few seconds. The apartment was pretty much already clean. Bro supposed next he could get a scrub down in the shower. That definitely didn’t get done enough. And the counters, of course.

            John thumbed at a Shuriken as he hesitated.

            “So,” he said quietly. Bro tossed his pile of envelopes back to the table before crossing his arms. “I mean I guess I can do floors and cupboards and stuff which is cool but… Where’s your bedroom? A guy like you probably doesn’t make his bed.”

            Bro just watched him before turning away, moving toward his computer.

            “It’s a one bedroom apartment, kid. The only room belongs to my brother. I sleep out here.” He sat down at his desk, quickly typing up his password. Better pay these bills and be done with it before he forgot. “Vacuum this main room and the hallway, sweep and wash the kitchen floor. You can come back tomorrow and wipe down the cupboards the counter and the table, then come dust the living room. Clean up the bathroom Friday and then you’re done.”

            John didn’t say anything for a long time. He just swept the kitchen floor and washed it up. Put the supplies away and dug out the vacuum. It wasn’t until he had rolled it into the middle of the living room and started pulling the cord off that he finally stopped to chat again. Bro was almost finished with his work by then.

            “Don’t you get sore sleeping on the couch every night?” He asked, his voice small compared to the obnoxious tone he was using earlier. Bro sat back for a moment before he turned around, facing John head on with his arms resting on his chair.

            “You get used to it. Making sure my brother grows up with proper privacy privileges is more important than having some flawless sleep like they do in mattress commercials. And besides. It’s a futon, not a couch. It folds out. I have room.”

            John stared at the futon for a bit, his eyes wandering along it and the pillow and the blanket and even Cal before he turned back. He was putting together puzzle pieces, that was for sure.

            “What are you even worried about me for, Kid,” Bro grunted, uncrossing his legs and putting them flat on the floor. “Come this weekend you aren’t even going to see me again so what gives.”

            It was only a few moment later that John was on his way over, his vacuum abandoned. His knee lifted and pressed into the chair next to Bro’s hip. He pushed up from the floor and slid his other knee in place. He straddled Bro. He pressed himself up against Bro. He held him. Fearlessly. It was a hug. Something Bro hadn’t received in years. Aside from shoulder arms.

            He was shocked to say the least. Some kid in cargo shorts  pressed against him and those scrawny arms wrapped around his neck. He wanted to ask John what the fuck he was doing, but no words came out. Not out of him, at least.

            “You’re an amazing brother,” John whispered, his breath ghosting over Bro’s neck. He held back a shiver. He tried to pull his hips away to save John from feeling that uncontrollable throb that shot through his crotch. Eventually John pulled his head back, a snarky grin on his face. “For a loser who likes porn puppets and thinks weed is some amazing crime.”

            Bro wanted to smirk. He really did. But he couldn’t bring himself to. His mouth was just agape with this whole thing. Sure, it was nice to get recognition for how hard he was busting his ass for Dave, but how could it be coming so well from a 14-year-old kid who was so stupid he came into a stranger’s home and told text on the internet where he went to school? John was effectively the wisest moron Bro had ever met. And he was doing it all by accident.

            John hopped off Bro’s lap, moving back to the vacuum to plug it in. He didn’t talk much for the last half hour he was there. He vacuumed the carpet in the living room and into the hall, but didn’t open the bathroom or Dave’s door. He whistled as he worked, and he finished his work just as Bro was finishing his. He had just started to pull something out of the fridge for dinner when John approached the kitchen table, the vacuum put away and his backpack over his shoulders again.

            “I should get back home before my dad gets home from work,” he mused, hands on the straps of his backpack again. He sure was protective of that thing. Bro couldn’t help but wonder if there was something inside of it. Probably just his school work. Bet this was the guy who’s math notebook always got flushed down the toilet. Classic. “I can walk, but you’ll pick me up tomorrow, right? I mean those counters will probably take forever and they probably need a good scrub when you can’t clean under them.”

            Bro finally found it in him to smirk, glancing at the Shuriken littering the countertops. Walking home, huh? At least he wasn’t stupid enough to bring a stranger to his home.

            “Yeah, I’ll be there. Don’t worry about it, Kid.”

            John’s smile turned right into a pout as he cocked an eyebrow. “Are you going to call me Kid forever? My name is John, remember?”

            This fucking kid.

            “Okay, sorry, don’t worry about it, John.”

            That pleased him, and he started his wide steps toward the door. All while loudly proclaiming, “Maybe tomorrow I’ll get lucky enough that you’ll tell me your name, too.”

            Bro rolled his eyes, examining the back of the Hamburger Helper box. “Keep dreaming.”

            The door was closed before Bro had even realized it opened. He lifted his gaze to look at it, his eyebrows knitting together.

            That kid wasn’t half bad. Even if it was painfully obvious why punks would want to pick on him. At least those days were over with.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the suddenly doubling of chapter size. i finally found my tongue with this fic (thank god) so the writing might actually be decent from here on out. expect more words in the second half of the fic too! and thank you so much for all your comments they mean the world!


	5. Chapter 5

            It barely felt like 10 minutes later when Dave came through the door. His backpack was slung over one shoulder and he carelessly threw it over the couch.

            “Detention again?” Bro asked him, unimpressed as he threw the lid on his meal. Now that he knew Dave wasn’t responsible for that ad, it was time to get to the bottom of why Dave got in the fight that he did. Or hell, maybe the fight itself was a lie. Maybe Dave actually just cheated on a math test or something. Either way, he needed to find out somehow.

            “No shit,” Dave muttered, flopping back on the futon. He picked up the half-packaged video game, pulling it out completely and tearing the wrapper off with his teeth.

            “Watch the attitude, Dave,” Bro responded, pulling the parental tone he’d read about and heard on countless television shows. He took one last glance at the sauce pan before abandoning it, moving to sit next to Dave. He pulled the Xbox case right out of his brother’s hand, forcefully demanding attention.

            “What gives,” Dave groaned, lifting his feet onto the couch and turning away. Something was really bugging him and it was only getting more obvious. This wasn’t just Dave getting shit on by a bully, this was Dave feeling bad about himself. This wasn’t him getting inconvenienced by dudes who wouldn’t lay off. This was him believing what he was being told by kids who didn’t know what they were talking about.

            “Tell me what happened,” Bro pressed, done beating around the bush. He’d messed up enough taking that route. “Who did you get in a fight with and why?”

            Dave was still avoidant, to say the least. Not that Bro found that surprising. He was probably ashamed of himself. He shouldn’t be, because he shouldn’t be made to feel like shit. Because he shouldn’t be getting picked on in the first place. Bro should have raised him so he didn’t. Yeah, he blamed himself. He should be blaming himself.

            “It doesn’t matter,” Dave finally said, moving his arms around his knees and dropping his face in them. “I’m over it, okay. It wasn’t my fault.”

            “Of course it wasn’t your fault,” Bro encouraged, moving a strong hand to the back of Dave’s neck and giving it a squeeze. Damn he just wanted to fix this and he had no idea how. John was doing just fine getting picked on. Maybe they should meet. They went to the same school anyway. Maybe John’s disgusting optimism could make him feel better about himself.

            “Then can we just not talk about it?” Dave asked, his voice small. He was pleading. Not directly, but Bro could hear it in his tone. “I’m fine. It was nothing and it’s not going to happen again. I promise, really.”

            Bro was hesitant, but there really wasn’t anything he could do. If Dave wouldn’t talk, he couldn’t get involved to help. At least not directly. Maybe at the very least he can lift his brother’s spirits enough that he wouldn’t sit here and shit on himself for days.

            “You know I love you, little bro. You’re a good smart kid with a nice looking set of priorities. You shouldn’t be putting yourself down.”

            Dave turned upward, his eyebrows curled sadly despite the smirk on his face. He didn’t believe any of that, did he. He was still down in the shits. Well, Bro guessed that mean he would just have to work twice as hard until Dave’s self-esteem was back where he was building it since Dave was just a baby.

            “Yeah, thanks, Hallmark,” Dave snuffed, trying to shrug off Bro’s hand. But Bro only squeezed harder, his face breaking into a grin as he folded his brother in half and listened to the symphony of “ow ow ow!” But even through the ows Dave was laughing. And it was spirited. Good. It was about time Bro saw a genuine smile out of the brat this week.

            “Come eat,” Bro started, releasing his brother and heading back into the kitchen. “Sorry it’s not much. I had someone over earlier.” John. Could that kid even be constituted as normal company?

            Dave came over as he was told, sliding into his seat and digging without question into the plate Bro gave him. He was in a better mood all through the meal and even after they finished eating they dove right into the new video game. Bro tried to pay attention to write a review as he played, but he was distracted by Dave being in such a good mood. He knew the article he had started to write was shit, but he didn’t really care. All of his articles were shit. That’s why people read them. He kept typing anyway, Dave having long since switched the television back over to cable. Hours had past before he finally turned it off, heading back into his room for the night. Good timing. Bro was ready to have the television to himself.

            He half expected another email from John, but one never came. He flopped back on the futon, stuffing a hand behind his head. He was a good brother, wasn’t he? He busted his ass to keep Dave safe, he encouraged him when he needed encouragement, he raised him with self-confidence as the primary goal. And it was working up until now, right? Bro smirked to himself, remembering the way John had whispered that praise right into his ear, his bony little thighs pressed so tightly against Bro’s.

            He glanced at Cal as he removed his gloves and glasses, tossing them to the floor. He got to his feet only to unfold the futon and discard his pants. He laid back down and pulled Cal against him. He covered them both in his blanket, grabbing Cal’s soft hand and pulling it into his boxers. A soft, flimsy arm tightened around him. He gnawed on his lip as his throat cracked to silence him.

            _John._

 

            He slept in that morning. When he woke up, Dave had already left for school. Cal had fallen out of bed during the night, but Bro was still protectively holding his hand. Bro pulled him back up onto the mattress, slinging the floppy arm across his chest and thumbing at the wrist of his glove. Amber eyes stared at the ceiling for a long time before he finally inhaled.

            “I actually did that last night didn’t I.”

            He looked to Cal for reassurance and got the same blank expression he always got.

            “Well, there’s no use denying it,” he continued, toes curling under his blanket. “You know you’re still number one, but I mean. I gotta seduce the kid, Dude. Is that crazy?”

            No response.

            “Yeah. You’re right. It isn’t at all. He was the one stupid enough to come into a stranger’s home. He deserves it. I mean, I’m not going to fucking force him if he says no but. I can coax him. Get him to the point where he can’t bring himself to say no no matter what. That’s okay.”

            It wasn’t okay. And he was well aware of it. But how could he help himself? He had gone from hating John to wanting to fuck John all because the kid gave him a bit of praise about his parenting. Bro was immature. Getting his self confidence from a kid and taking advantage of him as thanks.

            But he deserved it. He was an idiot. A stupid kid.

            “Fuck, I’m thinking too much about this.”

            Bro just chuckled to himself, sitting up and fixing up the futon. He tossed the blanket over the back and wrapped Cal around his shoulders. He was just going to stop thinking and start doing. Have his shower, get his work done, then pick the kid up when school let out. Dave had detention again, or so he said, so he’d be free to strike up some boners.

            He had to resist rubbing another one out in the shower as he carefully scrubbed every inch of his body (for at least 10 circles per area, each set properly counted and done in a counter-clockwise motion). He figured he could do it tomorrow- the day John would be cleaning it. Muck it up extra for him as a goodbye gift.

            He took care of PlushRump business before taking a casual scroll through the rest of his open sites. Nothing new. It took him less than an hour to edit up his article and submit it to the publisher. And he still had hours left to waste.

            He glanced over his shoulder at the kitchen. John was coming to clean the counters, cupboards, and dust the living room today. That was a pretty fucking big job, especially considering the amount of weaponry Bro had spread about the kitchen. He started to worry. If John did all that cleaning, would he have enough time for some _quality_ time?

            It took him a few minutes of contemplating, but he went ahead and did it.  He cleaned every weapon and all the space underneath them. He organized them back into rows. He tidied up his firecrackers and put them back in the cupboard. He even pulled up his pant legs and got on his knees, scrubbing the cupboard doors. He didn’t stop until the kitchen was immaculate. And by then, it was almost time to leave.

            Now all John had to do was dust the living room. Which would have been a bonus for Bro anyway. He could see it in his head. John on his tip toes reaching up with his little Swiffer duster to get the top of the television. Getting down on his hands and knees to get between gaming systems, his ass skyward as it swayed side to side. Yeah, that sounded amazing.

            If only Bro had a way of squeezing him into a maid’s costume. Too bad he didn’t own one. He could probably make one, but who knows how long John would actually be around for. Realistically Bro probably shouldn’t even see him again after Friday. Kind of a sad thought, but hopefully he will have been satisfied with John by then. After all it wasn’t like this was an actual romantic attraction. It was just lust brought on by that stupid bit of praise he got from the kid. That was it.

            Bro washed up his hands and dusted off his jeans before he grabbed his keys off the hook. This was it. This was crunch time. He was going to seduce John no problem. It might just take a bit of inconveniences to make it seem unplanned, though. Thankfully getting stuff around was one of the things Bro did best.

            His hands gripped to his steering wheel the entire drive, knuckles white with anticipation. His grand plan was running through his head over and over again. He missed a stop sign and barely even heard the loud honking that came of it. He pulled to the curb when he got to the school. Three PM. Ten more minutes and John would be headed out and would hop right up into his truck just like he did the day before.

            He closed his eyes as he started drumming on his steering wheel. His beat was sloppy and his feet tapped along impatiently. It was the longest 10 minutes of his life. He eventually rested his forehead against the top of the wheel in exhaustion, and when his passenger door squeaked open, he inhaled sharply to avoid looking too eager. He kept his head down.

            “Are you alive?”

            He turned his head. John was practically right in his face, a small finger prodding his shoulder. Bro grinned as he sat up, stretching his legs and his back before turning his car back on.

            “Yeah I’m alive. How’s it going, kid.”

            John sat back as Bro pulled out onto the street again, avoiding parents coming through to get their own kids. John still wasn’t wearing a seatbelt. Was he just trying to test Bro, or was he actually that stupid?

            “Not bad. Took a math test, that was good. None of those guys are coming near me. I think they might have had a fight, too. Terry and Mark aren’t even talking to the other guy. Or maybe he’s not talking to them. I dunno.”

            Bro smirked, his head knocking back ever so slightly. He turned around the same corner he did yesterday, following the exact same route to get back to his apartment.

            “Serves them right. Kids like that don’t deserve friends as far as I’m concerned. That kid I missed better get what’s coming to him.”

            John shrugged his shoulders, turning away from Bro and instead glancing out the window. He took a moment to roll it down and Bro watched as the breeze caught his hair.

            “I dunno. He’s not so bad. He looked more like he was getting pressured by Mike and Terry to be mean to me when he didn’t really want to. I think he’s just a kid who’s too busy trying to fit in instead of just being himself.”

            John grinned back at Bro in a way that read “I’m a fucking smart ass and I am absolutely right about this so don’t even try and argue.” He didn’t.

            “As long as you’re doing alright, Kid, I couldn’t give a shit.”

            “It’s John,” he corrected again, “And you’re supposed to tell me your name today, too.”

            “Sorry John,” Bro sneered, with extra emphasis on the name, “If you want to know my name you’ll have to go digging for it.”

            Like digging a hand right into his boxers.

            “You’re no fun,” John whined, playing up a pout and resting his head on his arms as he looked out the window. His feet were kicking like a seven year old against the seat’s cushion. He didn’t know shit about sitting safe in the car, did he?

            “Would you put your fucking seat belt on?”

            John looked over his shoulder. Slowly he turned his waist, turning his body to face forward. He was moving at a snail’s pace, and Bro knew he was doing it on purpose. What a fucking smart ass. John’s legs slowly moved out from under his hips. He placed his feet flat on the floor. His hands pressed into the seat, and he used the weight to push himself back against the back wall of the seat.

            It wasn’t until Bro was pulling into the parking complex that John’s hand had finally made its journey to the seat belt hanging next to him. And the buckle didn’t click until the very moment Bro put the gear shift into park.

            John conveniently found his speed, unbuckling his seatbelt and hopping out of the car in seconds. Bro rolled his eyes in the most exaggerated way he ever had. It was almost painful to do. Never the less he hopped out after him. A swift hand smacked into the back of John’s head.

            It only started the kid laughing. He was well aware of the fact that he was huge smartass. Good. Bro smirked, too, only half leading the kid inside this time. They were relatively silent in the elevator, and John didn’t speak until they reached the right floor.

            “So I’m doing under the weapons today, right? And the cupboards?”

            Bro shook his keys in his hand, turning his head away from John to hide his face.

            “Nah,” he said nonchalantly, pushing his key into the lock and opening the door. John walked right in under his arm. He was less protective of his backpack today. Maybe the way he held that thing was the way to gauge how comfortable he was. “I did the kitchen myself. Wanted to clean up the blades anyway. All you’ve got today is dusting the living room.”

            “Even better,” John mused, tossing his backpack down on the same chair as yesterday. He moved over the counters, admiring the job Bro had done cleaning it and all his weaponry. “Wooow.”

            “Yeah, it’s pretty great. Swiffer’s in that cupboard.”

            He pointed to the supply closet, and after a moment of consideration, John walked over to it and opened it up. He pulled out the duster, giving it a shake with an approving smile. Clearly he was contemplating something. But Bro had no clue what. And he didn’t have time to consider it, either.

            He took his seat right in the middle of the futon. He turned on the television, not really caring what was on. He wasn’t going to be watching anyway.

            John’s dusting was shy and rather modest at first, swiping back and forth over Bro’s computer desk. He reached upward to dust above the speaker. He reached behind it to get above the plugs before moving over to the entertainment system. He moved down to his knees, opening the doors of the entertainment system and dusting between and on top of all of  Bro’s systems.

            Bro’s eyes were glued to John’s rear as he crawled from door to door. He finished the table top, got back to his feet, and started the speakers on the other side. He then gestured to the television, and Bro nodded.

            Showtime.

            John stood on his toes, reaching with his full height to dust off the top of the television. He wobbled a bit with his unstabbly distributed weight. That was Bro’s cue. He flashstepped behind the couch, picking Cal up. He moved back and flopped down on the cushion, carelessly tossing Cal to the floor behind John’s foot.

            John lost his balance finally, tumbling backward slightly. His heel pressed into Cal’s stomach.

            “Woah!”

            The unusual terrain sent him stumbling even further in an attempt to avoid it. He finally landed, finding himself seated between Bro’s spread and prepared legs. His head bounced against Bro’s shoulder. He was nestled close, and before he head a chance to sit up, Bro’s hand slid to the side of his waist. The other reached for the remote, quietly turning off the television and leaving a black screen free for reflection. He could see John's face on it. Like watching himself on television. Like watching them together on television. He dropped the remote, gripping John's other side and pressing rough fingers into the chub on his stomach.

            “Careful,” Bro said lowly, sliding his head forward and resting it on John’s shoulder. “Cal’s the type to hold a grudge.”

            John’s heart had started racing. Bro could hear it. John swallowed before he spoke. His legs were spreading. The outsides of his thighs pressed against the inside of Bro’s.

            “I didn’t mean to,” he breathed, bringing his hands back to his sides. They rested against the couch. He released the duster, fingers threatening to grip the cushion. “I don’t remember him being there when I started. I’m sorry.”

            He wasn’t moving away. But was it an invitation or was it just fear? Whatever it was, Bro wasn’t planning on letting it stop him. His hands slid further over John’s stomach. His dick was already throbbing. Soon he’d be able to tell if John’s was, too. Or make it start.

            “I’ll talk to him,” Bro reassured, his fingers creeping lower down John’s torso. John’s body was ever so slightly stiffening, rejecting the touches silently. That wouldn’t last. “But hey, you’re done now anyway.”

 

            “I should go home,” John whispered. But he still didn’t pull away. Bro pulled the kid closer to him, nestling him even tighter between his legs. If John didn’t feel that cock on his back now, it would be a miracle.

 

            “You should stay,” Bro offered, his voice hushing itself to a whisper in John’s ear. His body was still tense under Bro’s hands, but Bro pushed on regardless. Fingers crawled further toward John’s crotch. A fingertip tease at the button on his shorts before four fingers slid between John’s thighs. He gave the crotch a squeeze in his hand. John’s back curled. His fingernails dug into his palms. A whimper cracked in his throat. Bro shushed him.

            “I finished my work,” he muttered, eyes closed. He jutted his hips, but still didn’t attempt to move away. Bro’s hands pressed against him.

            “But I did half of it,” Bro reminded him, doing his best not to grin as he pressed his lips against the tip of John’s ear. The more he squirmed, the tighter Bro held him down. “So you owe me, don’t you?”

            “But I didn’t ask you t-”

            Bro’s hand grabbed roughly at John’s crotch again. John went silent aside from a breaking moan, pressing himself into that hand. He was giving in. Slowly but surely. Of course he was. A hormonal teenager couldn’t say no. A hormonal teenager didn’t want to say no.

            His hand started stroking John through his shorts. He could feel that tiny cock of his getting harder. Those cargo shorts were getting tighter. One of John’s hands moved to Bro’s thigh, small fingers gripping into the denim. He was giving in at this point. Good.

            Bro removed his hand, earning a small whimper from John. He smirked as he brought the hand to his mouth. He bit into the strap of his glove, pulling the Velcro undone before pulling it off his hand with his teeth. Now with bare skin his hand dove back down, only giving one squeeze to that forming erection before working open the shorts and sliding his hand under the waist of John’s boxers.

            John was getting less shy now, properly letting out a moan this time as opposed to holding it back. Warm fingers slid through and past that small patch of pubic hair and wrapped around John’s dick and started pulling and rubbing. Starting slow and working toward a quick and stable thrust.

            It was obvious this was John’s first time with someone else, judging by how little time and stimulation it took him. He had thankfully opened up enough for impressive moans, not biting back until he came hot in Bro’s hand. His back was so curled he was barely touching Bro with it anymore. Elbows locked as he bent upward. It wasn’t until Bro took his hand back that John settled back into place, shoulders heaving as he struggled to catch his breath.

            Bro wiped his hand on his shirt before turning John in his lap, holding him closer and cradling him protectively with a satisfied smirk. Today, he got John. Tomorrow, John would get him.

            “I’ve… Never done something like that before,” he breathed, blue eyes straining to look upward at Bro’s face. A bit of a smirk on his own face, he turned back down to rebutton his shorts. For now Bro would allow it. But tomorrow John wasn’t going to be done until he said so.

            “I can tell,” Bro teased, before lifting John’s face toward him again. Bro kissed him, rather roughly considering the erection in his pants and how desperate it was making him feel.  John did his best to keep up, moving to straddle Bro’s lap again and pressing his hands against his chest. Tongue slid against tongue and Bro’s hips were struggling to keep still. He wanted to whip out his dick and shove it in John's ass right now. But he knew better. There would be plenty of time for that tomorrow.

            “You should leave,” he breathed, fingers digging into John’s hips. “I need to take care of this before my brother gets home. He won’t be long either.”

            John nodded with a gaping mouth, sliding backward on the futon and getting to his feet. A moment of awkward staring was the last Bro saw of him. He took off toward the kitchen, feet slapping against tile and chairs sliding loudly across the floor as he freed his backpack and tossed it over his shoulder. He was nervous. He might even regret doing that tomorrow. He might not want to do more.

            Oh well. All it would take was a bit more coaxing.

            Bro stood to grab Cal, dusting him off and giving him an apology kiss to the forehead and a fist bump. Didn’t want to let the guy feel used. They were a team, after all. With an inviting grin Bro sat back, finally freeing his erection and wrapping Cal’s arm around it again. Tomorrow would be different. For now, he needed to finish and change before Dave got home for the evening.

            Tomorrow was the last day. And after tomorrow, all of this would be over.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BEFORE YOU READ THIS CHAPTER, I WANT YOU TO KNOW IN CASE YOU DON'T FOLLOW ME ON TUMBLR:
> 
> I rewrote the first three chapters of this fic to try and help the flow and style consistency. Not much of value was added, but if you're interested in reading them, I suggest going back and doing so before this chapter especially!!!!

            Semen splattered against tile. Bro cleaned it up himself. Bro cleaned the entire bathroom himself. He didn’t stop until it was spotless. He forgot to make Dave dinner. He watched television for hours. Ignored Dave when he tried to talk to Bro over the back of the couch. He kept Cal held to his chest.

            All it took was that taste of John for him to forget about everything else. He stopped worrying about Dave having detention. Cal was left unsatisfied. Bro wanted the heat of any of John’s orifices around him. That tiny mouth barely able to suck the head of his dick. Breaking and pulling at the tightness of his virginity. He wanted his tongue inside John and he wanted his dick inside John.

            He was losing it.

            He fell asleep with the television on, and the futon still in its upright position. He had another nightmare about dying. Murdered by a monster. Cal was taken. Dave escaped.

            Bro stayed in bed late that morning. His eyes stayed shut. Cal laid alone on the floor abandoned. He could hear Dave getting ready for school behind him. But he didn’t care. He just wanted this day to end so he could pick John up. He gripped tighter to his blanket- had Dave put one on him in the middle of the night?- cracking his eyes open for only a second. It was darker out the window than he hoped it was going to be.

            The room smelled like toast, now that he was acknowledging it.

            “Hey,” Dave finally said from the kitchen, muffled around his breakfast. Bro heard his shoes begin to tap as he kicked them on without untying them. Lazy shit. “It’s my last day of detention so I’ll be back closer to 4. Last days let you out early so.”

            Bro didn’t respond. He was hardly listening. Just leave, Dave. Go to school. Don’t come back. Go to a friend’s house for a sleep over. Anything.

            “Are you actually going to make supper tonight?”

            There was a long pause. Dave was waiting for a response. Bro’s gaze moved to the floor behind his eyes. Guilt was threatening to bubble up. But he wasn’t going to let it. He stayed silent, and eventually, Dave heaved out a sigh.

            “Alright… I’ll see you tonight then,” he muttered. A few footsteps later the latch on the door was sliding shut. Bro only waited a few seconds before he sat up on the futon.

            His eyes wandered over to the computer. He wondered briefly if John had sent him an email after he left last night. Thanking him again for his help or thanking him for the hand job. Hopefully the latter. The kid had to have said something, right? He was way too mouthy and talkative to have said nothing in response to what happened.

            Bro stood up. Blood rushed from his head, and he wobbled for a moment before working his way to his desk. He felt Cal’s hand plush under his foot. Bro ignored him. He sat down at his desk, logging into his computer. He bypassed all the sites in CompleteBullshit. Notifications from Facebook and PlushRump demanded his attention. It could be serious business issues, but he didn’t check them. His entire website could be down and he could be losing money with every passing second.

            He opened up his email inbox.

            Three emails regarding his business. Two emails from the GameBro Editor. One marked with “Urgent.” Dave had updated Sweet Bro and Hella Jeff last night, and there was an email notifying him to read it.

            His mouse moved to the new email from John and opened it up.

 

 

            _uh. hey. it’s me again. i guess i wanted to thank you again for your help and stuff. i really appreciate it and i know school is a lot better and stuff already but uh. i mean. i don’t really get what happened yesterday? like i mean it’s cool if you like me like that or something but you’re a bit old for me aren’t you? i guess i technically don’t even know how old you are but. well. i’m not really into guys anyway i don’t think? it’s cool if you are! but i’m not. sorry._

_i don’t really think i should come over today. i know you still wanted me to do the bathroom but i don’t feel all that comfortable going back over to be honest. i hope you understand. i don’t even know your name after all._

_so yeah. thanks. and i’ll see you around or something maybe._

-       _john_

            Bro was trying really hard not to frown. At first his smirk was natural. The innocent ignorance was amusing to him. But the more he read, the more his emotions swirled. Who did this kid think he was? Bro risked going to jail for him, and he couldn’t even finish up his repayment? What, did he think everything on the world came free? First the carelessness on the internet, second the seatbelt thing, now this. He must have been raised by a fucking moron.

            Bro was pissed. His expression weighed down his face. He loudly smacked down on the reply button. He could see red in his vision as he typed. John wasn’t going to get away with this. Just getting what he wanted from Bro willy-fucking-nilly then getting away with it after contributing nothing himself. Luckily Bro had prepared for this. He knew there was a chance that John would have gotten frightened by his advancements last night. Luckily for him, John was stupid. And he was just a kid.

 

 

            _That’s not really an option here, Kid. You’re coming over until the job is done. I didn’t risk going to jail to save your cowardly ass for you to cop out on me halfway through payment. I’ll be there to pick you up after school. If you don’t show up at my truck, I’ll be showing up your house. An easy reveal since you gave me your IP address on a golden fucking platter._

_And trust me when I say it, John. You bet your ass I’ll be showing up well after your dad is home. And I’ll tell him all about what you’ve been getting up to. If that’s what you’d rather happen then go ahead and play hookey. You want to keep the charade going? I’ll see you in my shower at 3:30 scrubbing the tiles._

_-Dirk_

No way John was going to say no to that. He should be thanking Bro for being so damn generous. Bro didn’t expect money for his troubles or compensation for the risk besides a few fucking chores. Then not only did he do the fucking chores before John even got there, he gave the kid a free hand job, too. At least Bro had raised Dave not to be an unappreciative little bastard like this kid. That was a bit comforting. Dave was a good kid. He was…

            Who the hell cared.

            Bro stood only when his stomach growled loudly. He picked up the remote to his stereo from his desk, turning his music up to a reasonable volume before moving into the kitchen. He pulled his shirt over his head and discarded it. Two minutes of microwaving later and he was blowing steam from a burrito, using a hand towel as an oven mitt and bringing the plate back to his computer.

            There was still no response from John.

            Reluctantly, he went back through his tabs to do his work. Answered his Facebook messages, dealt with the matters that needed his attention on PlushRump. That didn’t stop him from checking for a new message every few minutes, though. His phone buzzed a few times. Texts from Dave. He didn’t bother reading them past the preview line. Just stupid things Dave thought was funny and wanted to share. 90% of the time they weren’t funny at all, but he would still laugh for him. If only to make Dave feel good.

            All that self esteem buffering. He had been doing it since Dave was a baby. For a moment he remembered Dave’s bullying problem from this week. For a second he remembered to worry about how that self esteem he had built might be shattering right in front of his eyes.

            His email notification went off.

            John had replied.

 

 

            _you are such a despicable piece of shit._

_i’ll be there._

-       _john_

Of course he would be. He didn’t have a choice. Bro didn’t give him a choice.

 

_I know._

-       _Dirk_

 

 

            Bro was near silent when his passenger door opened. He didn’t turn to greet John. John didn’t greet him, either. He took a seat and he pressed his feet flat against the floor. Bro put the car into gear, and as he pulled away from the curb- sharply this time- he finally spoke.

            “Put your seatbelt on.”

            John did as he was told. Not in a smartass way this time. He got it done. The buckle clicked closed and he rested back tighter against his seat. Bro was a bit more careless as he drove this time, wanting to hurry home and get this over with. Something in his head was fighting itself. He had better things to worry about than this kid. But he couldn’t get him out of his head until he _had_ him.

            “I’ve got good news for you,” Bro said, parking his truck in the complex and pulling his keys from the ignition. John looked up in silence as he waited for the rest, unbuckling his seat belt. His hands were gripped tighter to that backpack than Bro had seen so far. He was nervous. Even more nervous than the first day. 

            “I already cleaned the bathroom, so we’ve got the afternoon to ourselves.”

            “What?”

            John didn’t like that at all, apparently. His body was leaning away from Bro, shoulder pressed against the truck door.

            “You heard me,” Bro snapped, jerking his arm and pointing his key upward. “Now get upstairs. Or I’ll take you back home and we’ll have a talk with your dad.”

            “I hate you,” John growled, pushing open his door and shaking his head. Bro only smirked, locking his doors once John’s was closed.

            “Quit with the hostilities, Kid. Soon you’ll be creaming yourself again and you’ll regret being such a dick.” Bro could have sworn there was the smallest of smirks on John’s face. Not that he had that long of a chance to see it.

            “I’m not having sex with you,” John muttered, waiting until after the elevator doors had closed. Bro leaned against the back wall, shrugging his shoulders.

            “That’s fine. I mean sure, getting my dick in you would be fucking great. But I’m not about to rape you to get it.”

            Except this morning he would have. Last night he would have. He was so much more irritated after John left the day before. And already he felt less angry. Less desperate. Less betrayed. He was actually feeling a smile tug his lips. Was he on some sort of John withdrawal? Why the hell would he have been so into him that fast? Why did John deserve that much of his attention? It was almost angering.

            It was just sexual frustration. It had to be.

            “Maybe not,” John said finally, heaving a sigh as the door opened on the correct floor. “But you’ll still do that crazy coaxing shit and convince me.”

            “That crazy coaxing shit wouldn’t work if you didn’t inherently want it,” Bro reminded up, pushing open his apartment door. “Go have a seat on the couch.” He lifted his hand, pointing his keys into the living room. John looked, cocking an eyebrow.

            “No way. That’s just asking for it.”

            “Get on the couch or I’ll just fuck you over the kitchen table instead. I would at least like you to be comfortable when I do you.”

            “You’re not going to do me,” John insisted, though this time Bro saw that smirk on his face for sure. And he headed over to the couch without question.

            John was feeling more at ease, too. He discarded his backpack on the floor, thought much closer to where he was going to be this time. Bro was thankful for that. Meant the feeling was mutual. Meant he had as much power over John as John had over him.

            Bro wasted no time cutting to the chase. He discarded his hat and gloves on the kitchen counter, moved into the living room, and took a seat next to John on the futon. John glanced up at him without turning his head. Bro rested an elbow against the back of the couch, propping up his head. His other hand eased its way into John’s lap, palming at his crotch and thumbing down the length in his shorts.

            “Quit it,” John groaned, slowly sliding closer. His eyes were closing. He wasn’t even trying to fight this time. He was probably only saying no so he could tell everyone that he did. Get off easy. Cheeky bastard.

            Bro wasted no time pulling open his shorts, shoving his hand inside and pulling out John’s cock. Wasn’t quite hard yet, but he knew how to handle that.

            “Sit on my face,” he commanded, leaning back away from John and resting on his back. He trapped John under his legs momentarily, propping his head up with a cocky smirk.

            “What the fuck would I do that for?” John argued, roughly shoving Bro’s legs from his lap. Dirk exaggerated the motion as his feet fell to the floor, stomping loudly.

            “Just trust me. Take off your pants and get on your knees so your hips are over my face. Hurry up with it, too.”

            He had to choke back a laugh listening to John monologue as he undressed. He kicked his shorts and boxers away from him, sending them flying off toward the corner of the room.

            “Hey, why is your creepy doll on the floor?”

            Bro’s smile faded as he glanced over. John was now holding Cal by the waist, his arms and legs limp as they hung toward the floor. Bro had left him on the floor. Bro never treated Cal that way. He would have to apologize in a big way if he was going to get past this. John propped Cal up against the television before moving back over to the couch.

            “Could you at least close your eyes if my ass is going to be in your face,” he muttered, throwing a leg over Bro’s chest. He dropped his head, staring at Bro through the space between them. “I mean it’s kind of gross.”

            “Just shut up,” Bro responded. His hands pushed upward against John’s hips. He lifted the small body and bent it as he wanted to. John had a quiet yelp to make, but Bro didn’t bother acknowledging it. His hands moved to John’s backside, thumbs spreading the flesh and revealing the prize he was looking for. “I’d suggest muffling yourself on my dick. Wouldn’t want to alert the neighbors.”

            “Don’t get so cocky,” John sniggered, lifting his head to glance over his shoulder. “As if you could actually make m- oh _fuck._ ”

            His head dropped back down as Bro’s tongue pressed against him. It pushed and prodded against his anus and Bro wasn’t surprised at all when he felt John’s face press against his crotch. John’s mouth was wide as hot breath clouded out of him. Impatient fingers began desperately scurrying around Bro’s belt as his tongue started pushing inside of him.

            Bro moved lower as he felt the heat of John’s mouth around his head. Finally. And it was just as amazing as he imagined it would be. Inexperienced and sloppy, the first thing John did was take in too much and choke himself. Bro did his best not to laugh, just jerking John’s hips up again. He widened his mouth, lifted his head, and let one of John’s balls fall into his mouth.

            Another loud whimper came from the other end of the couch. The suction on his dick increased as John worked. His small hands gripped at the base of Bro’s dick. A bit tighter than Bro would have liked, but he wasn’t about to complain. It was still John after-all. And he wasn’t doing too bad anyway.

            Bro could get off on this. Of course he could.

            He dropped his head back against the couch, and watched easily as John’s hips jutted backward and thrusted forward again. He was still desperate to be touched. So close and yet so far.

            “Are you going to ask nicely?” Bro teased, tracing his fingertips along John’s hips in an agonizingly slow way. John’s mouth pulled up hard from Bro’s cock.

            “Hell no!” It was a rather loud exclamation, but he didn’t seem to mind. He went back to licking around the head of Bro’s cock, taking it in again. He started to bob his head, moving his hands along in time with it. Certainly wouldn’t be long now if John kept that up.

            Bro hoisted him up again, letting his much smaller- but way harder than before- cock drop down into his throat. John picked up his speed, a bit more open to this whole ordeal now. Unlike John, Bro was fully capable of bringing John’s dick all the way into his throat, closing his mouth around it. It earned him a strained whimper, and once again John was lifting his head up from his work for a loud-mouthed play by play.

            “How do you… Fuck… Even do that… I can’t seem to.”

            Bro took the time to hum, and John’s head shot up as the vibration stalked up his spine. He went back to his greedily suckling, no doubt getting a mouth full of precum at this point. Bro was surprised he wasn’t whining about that, the way this kid felt the need to always be talking. Bro lifted John off of him, letting his precum drizzle over his lips. He licked it off before giving John’s slit a quick lap.

            “If you haven’t noticed, your dick is about the size of my thumb. Where as you’re basically devouring your fucking forearm.”

            “It is not the size of your thuuu _oooh fuck._ ”

            Bro once again rolled one of John’s balls in his mouth, taking care as he switched to the other one. Gentle prods with his tongue was all it really needed, after all.  He pulled off and went back to John’s cock, swollen to its peak. He’d be bursting any minute and Bro would lap it up.

            John’s hands picked up their pace, in time with a quicker bob in his head. He was determined to get this job done for someone who’s not really into guys, wasn’t he? Still, the pressure from his grip and the heat of his mouth felt great, as amateurish as it was. Bro’s hips even jerked up once or twice, earning a protesting moan from John and about nothing else.

            Bro held back his work just long enough for him to spill over. Hot cum splattered against the inside of John’s mouth, and he pulled back on instinct. The last of it ended up hitting his face, and a loud yell came of it. It just made Bro grin.

            “Come on!” John yelled, putting his weight on one elbow to wipe his face. “Can’t you warn a guy? I got that in my mouth!”

            He continued monologue, not shutting up until Bro shoved John’s dick down his throat again. He was silenced with another moan, and Bro could have sworn he saw John’s legs attempting to spread to get lower. That brat wanted to fuck his mouth, didn’t he? Bro met him half way, giving up on the deep throating and instead jerking his head upward to thrust nicely.

            John’s teeth dug down into Bro’s jeans as he came, whimpers silenced and cracking in his throat. Bro swallowed it down as promised, letting go of John’s hips and letting the kid collapse on him. All that could be heard for a long time was John panting. Eventually though he lifted up on his arms, and spun around. He rested his head on Bro’s chest. Bro tugged the blanket down from the back of the couch and laid it on them. He even went as far as to finger through John’s hair and leave a kiss on his forehead.

            “Sick, dude,” John whined, not as energetically as before. “Don’t kiss me, were you not just paying attention to all the places your mouth just was? Fucking gross.”

            “Just for that I’m going to get a sloppy one right on your lips.” Bro grinned, closing his eyes. He felt John chuckle against his chest.

            “Haha! Ew!”

            John talked for a long time. He just kept talking. Bro was finding himself drifting off to the sound of it. Hearing about school work and computer games and Ghostbusters. None of it was really registering, but he was listening. He would always listen to John. Even if John said no.

            Letting his head clear out was like vacuuming out a thick haze. All the uptightness from the morning was gone. He was remembering he forgot to answer his publisher’s emails. He remembered he still needed to get Dave to talk about his fight problem. Just because his detention was ending doesn’t mean the issue was going to end. Like John said. Detention doesn’t stop bullies for good.

            John should come over when Dave was here. They should be friends. John could teach Dave a thing or two about not giving a shit what assholes were saying about them. They could be friends. Bro knew that Dave already had friends, but who knew if John did or not? They could be helping eachother. Not to mention that would give John a reason to be around more.

            Bro didn’t think that he would need anything more sexually from John, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t take some if it was offered. Wouldn’t want to let that go to waste, right?

 

            Bro hadn’t even realized he had fallen asleep until he woke up, when he found himself winded by small hands slamming down into his chest. He was still half asleep, and aside from knowing John was doing some fucking downward facing dog yoga pose on top of him, he had no clue what was going on.

            “What the hell are you doing here?”                    

            Was that Dave? He sounded so hostile. Okay, Bro, time to wake up. You need to start explaining and fast. Get up. He tried to sit up, but John was still on top of him, weighing him down with his scrawny little arms and all his weight being put on them.

            “Dave!! You’re… _You’re_ Dirk’s __brother?__ ”

            Finally the weight was lifted when John hopped off the couch, taking the blanket with him. He clutched it tightly around his naked waist. Bro tiredly stared at him before managing to sit up.

            “Good,” he started groggily, pushing his hand back through his hair to get it out of his face. He turned to look at Dave over the back of the futon. What was he doing home so early anyway? “I wanted to introduce you two. Looks like you already know eachother.”

            “Dirk!” John shouted suddenly, causing Bro to turn to him instead. His face was scrunched worriedly and he looked as if he was going to start crying. Bro just cocked an eyebrow. What was the problem here? He was about to ask, but John didn’t need the prompt.

            “Of course I know Dave!” John shouted, knuckles white as he gripped even tighter to the blanket around him, desperately holding it up. He was holding it like he would have been holding his backpack if it were within arms reach. He wasn't just nervous. He was scared.

            “He’s the third guy who beat me up!”


	7. Chapter 7

Bro was speechless.

            At first, he wanted to lash out at John. How fucking dare he accuse _his_ little brother of being a fucking bully? Dave wasn’t a fucking bully, and this kid was full of shit. But Bro wasn’t stupid. He could see the sincerity in John’s eyes, and he could see the shame in the way Dave was clenching jaw.

            John was telling the truth. Dave had beaten someone up just to be an antagonist.

            “John,” Bro started sternly, fixing his pants before getting to his feet. “Why don’t you go into the bathroom and wash up. Get dressed. There’s a spare tooth brush in the cabinet still packaged if you need it. I need to talk alone with my brother.”

            Dave’s gulping was audible.

            John looked up at Bro with a slightly open mouth, his eyes practically begging for security. The way the color had drained from them spoke volumes. His entire expression was screaming for protection. So John wasn’t as impervious to this bullying thing as he said he was, was he? It effected him a lot if he was this scared. He was just putting up a front.

            Bro put a hand on his shoulder, easing him in the direction of the bathroom. John picked up his shorts on the way, making a run for it. The hallway door slammed shut. Bro inhaled before turning around.

            “I can explain,” Dave started quickly, already defensively lifting up his hands. Bro could see the peak of his eyebrows above his glasses where they were curling upward. If Dave thought he was upset now, he was going to be fucking surprised when he found out how upset he was going to be after Bro was through with him.

            “Yeah, and you fucking better,” Bro snapped, gripping his fists. “What the _fuck_ do you think you’re doing? Do you think I train you like this so you can pick on innocent fucking kids? You think just because you have some monster self-esteem you can make others feel like shit for not being you? Guess what Dave, that isn’t self-esteem that’s a fucking ego. That’s not fucking cool, that’s bullying.”

            “It’s not my fault!” Dave shouted back, his voice was raising volume and there was a squeak in his throat where it cracked over the new octave. At least he seemed to understand that he fucked up. Still doesn’t explain why he would do something like this, mind you. “I didn’t want to hit anybody!”

            “Then why the fuck _did you._ ” Bro was practically growling now, taking a step closer as Dave had begun to retreat. “Did your fist accidentally fly forward? Did you trip and accidentally kick him in the stomach? For fuck’s sakes, it’s _John._ He couldn’t have fought back and you still beat the shit out of him. For what? Why? What force was too strong for you to overcome?”

            “How the hell do you even _know_ him?” Dave was screaming louder now, his volume beginning to overtake Bro’s. His body was flung all the way forward, a finger pointing angrily at the door where John had disappeared. That pissed Bro off. How could this brat turn anything off of himself right now after what he did? Was getting what was coming to him too much of a punishment so now he was a victim? Bro would have started the scolding again, but Dave’s mouth seemed to drop knowingly before he stood up straighter. “Oh my God. You were the one who did it, didn’t you. I should have fucking known.”

            “Did what,” Bro asked, a frown starting to form on his face. His eyes narrowed behind his glasses. What the hell was Dave playing at now. He was letting Dave get them off subject. Great. No, that wasn’t happening. He would get it back on track. He wasn’t going to be made the bad guy talking to someone who had just beaten a kid up in school.

            “You’re the one that beat the ever loving shit out of my friends so they stopped fucking talking to me. They thought I had something to do with it since I just so happened to be away the day it happened. Thanks a fucking lot, Bro! Way to set a goddamn example! What, it’s okay for you to beat people up half your fucking age, but if I do it it’s suddenly a huge crime?!”

            Dave was heaving, his face red from the screaming. He started to storm past Bro, but Bro’s hand was on his wrist before he even had a chance. His grip was tight to keep him in the kitchen. Dave protested and fought against the grip, but he wasn’t going anywhere. Bro started yelling just as loud, jerking Dave roughly closer to him.

            “I hit them because I thought they were beating the fucking shit out of _you_ you ungrateful little shit. I did it to save your goddamn ass because I thought I knew you better than you being a fucking bully. I was stupid enough to think that you were the one getting picked on. I guess I fall for your stupid façade just like everyone else does, don’t I!”

            That visibly stung Dave, and Bro could tell. His mouth had stretched across his jaw and his head dropped slightly. Bro made a note to apologize for that one later. But for now, he wasn’t quite finished. He brought down his tone just slightly, nudging Dave’s face back up.

            “And what the fuck are you doing being friends with guys like that anyway. One of them’s a fucking sociopath and the other is a goddamn coward. I raised you better than that, Dave. You have better friends than them so why would you ever give those assholes the time of fucking day. They deserved to get what was fucking coming to them.”

            Bro expected Dave to start screaming right away out of defense, but for a moment he seemed to calm down. His expression softened into a playful smile, and he brought a hand up to laugh into. It wasn’t long until it was all gone though, and he turned his head towards the floor. Bro barely caught his whisper.

            “I don’t have any friends.”

            He let go of Dave’s wrist. Dave didn’t move away. He just stood there with his head down, solemnly staring at his feet. Bro couldn’t believe what he just heard. He didn’t believe it. How could Dave not have friends? He had a flawless self-esteem, he was cool as all shit, and hell, he was even good looking. What could have possibly gone wrong?

            “Bullshit,” Bro said, folding his arms across his chest. “You talk about that Rose girl all the time. Isn’t she your friend?” There’s no way there weren’t others. “You were texting someone all day on Tuesday. I barely saw you without your phone in your hand. Was whoever that was not your friend?”

            Dave just scoffed. His hands were stuffed away in his armpits and his gaze was still downcast. The poor kid was fucking humiliated admitting all of this. Bro didn’t really blame him, even if he didn’t understand how it was happening.

            “The person I was texting was Rose,” he muttered, before finally lifting his head. Suddenly his tone was back full force. Hostile and angry, as if Bro should have known all of this from the get go. Maybe Bro should have. Maybe he was an idiot for not realizing any of this sooner. He didn’t even bother to ask. “And wouldn’t you fucking know it, she lives thousands of miles away and is the only goddamn person who gives me the time of day! Go fucking figure!”

            A hand balled and pushed upward. Dave’s glasses were knocked off kilter as he started rubbing at his eyes, his jaw clenched. Bro could feel what he did just by looking at him. That dry, burning throat, the sting in his eyes, the heavy weight of his cheeks. Bro got on his knees, taking Dave’s glasses off his face to look him in the eyes.

            “So why did this turn into you beating someone up.”

            Dave stared at his brother for a minute, his eyes glossy. He dropped his head, fiddling with the hem of his shirt. He then shrugged, taking a look over his shoulder. He wanted to make this casual. It really wasn’t.

            “They said I could hang out with them if I did it. I just. I wanted to fit in somewhere. Everybody hates me, Bro. They think that Ithink I’m too good for them. They think I think I’m too cool for them. But I’m just trying to act as confident as you are. I thought that’s what I was supposed to do.”

            Now everything was just crashing down. All this time Bro thought he had given Dave the perfect life, raised him to be the epitome of self-confidence so he could achieve anything he wanted to. But here Dave was, alone and alienated by the very lessons he was taught would bring him success. If Bro didn’t think he was blaming himself on Monday night, he was sure as hell blaming himself now.

            “I didn’t want to hurt him,” Dave said quietly, staring at his sunglasses in Bro’s hand. “I just wanted them to like me. And then we got caught and they blamed me for it. I skipped school on Tuesday because I thought they were going to beat me up next. On Wednesday they just wouldn’t talk to me. But everyone knew they got beat up by someone. They just refused to say who.”

            Bro dropped his head, pinching the bridge of his nose and closing his eyes tightly. The throb in his temple was getting strong. How could he have been so fucking wrong? And for so fucking long, too?

            “Well,” he breathed, managing a smile in Dave’s direction. “I’m glad you at least realize what you did was wrong. Good on you, kid.”

            Dave had the faintest of smiles, too, hearing that.

            “You should apologize to him, though. First thing. Got it?”

            Dave nodded, and Bro handed him back his sunglasses. Dave was quick to throw them back on, probably already way too over exposed after this whole ordeal. Bro knew how Dave liked to keep contained.

            “But hey. I’m sorry too, alright.”

            Dave looked upward, a questioning gape on his face. Clearly he didn’t blame Bro for this. But of course he didn’t. Dave was just a kid. Kids never understood what was happening around them. But Bro had it all figured out, and he knew exactly why this was happening. He just wasn’t that great of a father figure after all.

            “I didn’t mean to fuck up your chance at making friends. I just wanted you to never doubt yourself.” At least Bro meant that. But he was still stupid for jumping to assumptions and beating the shit out of kids without knowing what was even going on. Not that those kids didn’t deserve it. And it was probably best that Dave wasn’t friends with those guys anyway.

            “I doubt myself all the time,” Dave admitted, his body stiff as his arms crossed over his chest again. “I just act like I’m some hot shot because that’s what I want to be.” He sighed quietly, one of his feet lifting to scratch the back of his ankle with his toes. God the way this kid could move was creepy.

            Bro smiled, pushing Dave’s hair from in front of his glasses and tucking it behind his ear. He gave Dave’s cheek a few gentle smacks, and Dave broke out into a smile.

            “You’ll be whatever you want to be in time, Kid,” Bro assured him,  pushing up his chin again. “But sometimes you gotta have the guts to make the first move. Not every friend comes to you first.”

            Dave nodded his head, and Bro could see the color swelling in his cheeks as he fought off a bigger smile.

            “Yeah,” he muttered, “I was the first to talk to Rose, too. She’s… Pretty great.”

            Bro smiled widely and nudged his shoulder before getting distracted by the squeak of the hallway door. He stood as John bashfully peered through the crack. Bro attempted to give him an inviting smile. He took a few steps into the room, scratching at the back of his head.

            “I uh. I kind of knew that you weren’t really into the whole beating me up thing,” John said, keeping his eyes to the far wall and out of direct-gaze. “It was obvious you didn’t want to. So I mean. I forgive you and stuff. I was never really all that mad at you, really.”

            Dave looked over his shoulder for a minute before turning back. Bro could tell from that look on his face that it didn’t really matter if John forgave him. He needed to forgive himself. But Dave was shy and contained and he really needed that push to open up. Maybe John could give that to him.

            Maybe this wasn’t in vain after all.

            “But I mean,” John continued, finally turning his face towards the Striders and offering up a smile. Damn this kid was easy going. “I don’t have any friends either. Aside from a girl online, at least. And I guess if you wanted to, we could be friends. I always did think you were sort of cool. Just not really in the same way that you think you’re cool.”

            Dave didn’t turn around yet. His lips were pursing and wriggling as he mulled over a response. If Bro didn’t know any better, he would say Dave was building that façade back up. Alright, whatever worked for him. Bro wasn’t about to interfere. Not anymore. He had done enough. Instead he moved to the fridge, pulling open the door (easily holding back the swords compared to the mess Dave always made with them) and pulled out a beer. He moved against the counter and opened it up, taking a quick refreshing drink of it.

            “Yeah, sure, I guess,” he finally said, turning around with his hands in his pockets. He shrugged his shoulders, but apparently that was enough for John to break out a smile. “It’d be pretty cool to be friends with you. You’re alright.”

            John had the same mature and calm eyes he had when he smiled for Bro. The ones filled with admiration.

            “Well cool!” John exclaimed happily, getting a bit closer now. At least he didn’t seem as afraid as he was before. Apparently listening in on all of Dave’s vulnerabilities and insecurities was enough to calm him down. “Do you want to stay the night at my place? I mean, I don’t have as many cool game consoles as you do, but I do have my 3DS and an awesome movie collection. I’m sure my dad wouldn’t mind or anything! He’s pretty cool with that stuff.”

            Dave silently looked for approval. Bro silently handed it over. John kept talking.

            “And maybe I can introduce you to Jade! And you can introduce me to Rose was it? Maybe even they can be friends! We could be a team. Like the power rangers except we’d probably just be fighting adolescence instead of lame puppet super villains.”

            Dave seemed happy with that. More than, actually. He actually cracked a smile. Bro knew not everyone got one of those.

            “Well alright let me throw some clothes in a bag and we can head over to your place then. You’ve got a 3DS right? I’ll pack mine and we can trade our shit.”

            “Hell yeah,” John exclaimed, stepping aside as Dave walked past him towards the hallway. He followed close behind, and soon both of them had disappeared behind the door. Bro rested against the counter, inhaling through his nose as he drank and heaving a sigh. What a fucking week. It would be nice to have a night alone.

            He was glad that Dave turned out not to be getting picked on, sure, but finding out he was succumbing to peer pressure just to make friends was still a pretty fucking huge worry. He counted his blessings that this time around it was just hitting a kid who couldn’t hold a grudge. The further he got in high school, he’d be facing offers for alcohol and drugs and that thought was giving Bro a headache. Especially knowing he would have to rethink his parenting strategy to try and get Dave through it all.

            But hey. At least he wasn’t getting through it by himself anymore.

            Bro had already finished one can by the time John and Dave came back out. Dave’s backpack was hanging off his shoulder, and John ran ahead to grab his from beside the futon. Bro cracked another can, one hand gripping to the counter as he leaned against it.

            “Do you want a ride?” he offered, watching them take off across the living room and start putting on their shoes. Dave untied his. John still just jammed his foot inside and stomped on his toes until it was adjusted.

            “Nope,” John responded, without missing a beat. When he turned to look at Bro, they just exchanged a mutual knowing smirk. Yup, the kid was still smart. Well, part of him at least.

            “Later Bro,” Dave offered, John having already stepped out of the doorway. He had a hand on his backpack and he was standing so awkwardly in the doorway, facing the wrong direction. “And uh.”

            Bro cocked an eyebrow, only growing more confused as Dave stepped back into the kitchen.

            Warm arms wrapped around Bro’s torso and a small head pressed against his chest. He was caught completely off guard, but managed to slide an arm around Dave’s shoulders before he pulled away. The second hug he had received in years. The first hug from Dave he had received in years.

            “Thanks.”

            Dave took off when John started whining in his impatience. Bro felt a twang of disdain toward John for that, but shook it out of his head. He didn’t have time to waste any more thoughts on John. He’d gotten what he wanted. Sure, that wasn’t going to stop him from trying to get some more, but for now he was feeling pretty decent.

 

            There was just one more matter of business to take care of, and then everything could go back to normal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> only one more chapter gosh it's been fun....... thank u for reading this far and thank you so much for all your comments they meant a LOT TO ME GOSH GOSH GOSH. <33333333 i will have to write more brojohn in the future for u lovely people


	8. Chapter 8

The apartment was quiet besides the low hum of the computer tower, which quickly faded away as the entire system was shut down. Bro had finished with all the business he had left to do, including the emails, article edits, and leaving Dave a comment on his newest comic.

            Dave was going to be at John’s until tomorrow afternoon. He had the place to himself for 12 hours.

            He had already made, eaten, and cleaned up dinner. The blanket from the living room was back over the futon. Everything was in order besides the one last thing he needed to fix from this whole ordeal.

            The muted television was turned off. A tight, toned ass was revealed as he shimmied his way out of his pants, throwing them over one of the living room speakers. His hat and sunglasses were place gingerly on top, along with his gloves. After tossing away his shirt, he broke into a grin.

            “I’m sorry I’ve been so awful to you, babe,” he soothed quietly, gliding toward the entertainment system. He was down on one knee in an instant, and carefully, like a proper gentleman, his hand slid underneath the fuzzy white tuff of Cal’s. “But I’m gonna make it up to you, and we’re gonna get back on track with this crazy love train.”

            He waited eagerly, eyes glittering the moment Cal forgave him. Thank God he hadn’t messed things up forever with that stupid John stunt.

            “From now on, it’s just you and me. Not splitting up anything ever again.”

            He pulled the puppet against him, holding one hand in his while he pressed the other against his shoulder. They waltzed for a long while, and just as Bro was manning up and leaning in for a kiss, he heard the buzz of vibrations coming from his pants pocket on the speaker. Someone had texted him.

            Tossing Cal over his shoulder to observe he wandered over, reaching into the pocket and pulling out his phone.

            New Multimedia Message from Dave. 

            What the hell could it be?

            He opened the message, reading the caption that came first.

 

            “got you a present. dunno how you met him but i figure the least i could do would be supportive”

 

            Scrolling down, Bro saw it. The small thumbnail. It wasn’t. Dave didn’t. He enlarged the photo.

            On a backdrop of blank white wall and the corner of a Ghostbusters movie poster was John. But not just John. John’s ass. Clothed as it may be, was still round and plush as it was earlier on. Bro could even see the teaniest bit up the leg of it to his boxers.

            He grinned, then turned his head to get Cal’s opinion. Apparently Cal didn’t mind too much. 

            “You don’t mind if I make once exception, right?”

            He discarded the phone, and pulled Cal around to his front again. After collapsing the futon he gingerly laid Cal down, climbing and hovering over his tiny body and pulling the blanket over both of them.

            “Nah, I didn’t think you would.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> what are you hooligans still doing on my lawn get out


End file.
